The New York Herald Newspaper, August 23, 1876, Page 4

NEW YORK HERALD BROADWAY AND ANN STREET. BENNETT, JAMES GORDON PROPRIETOR, THE DAILY HERALD, published every | day in the year. Four cents per copy. Twelve dollars per. year, or one dollar per month, free of postage. All business, news letters or telegraphic | despatches must be addressed New York Henavp. rare and packages should be properly e Rejected communications will not be re- turned. Siete PHILADELPHIA OFFICE—NO.112 SOUTH fH STREET. N 8. LONDON OFFICE OF THE HERALD—NO. 46 FL: PARIS OFFICE-—AVENUE DE ET. L'OPERA. Subscriptions and advertisements will be received and forwarded on the same terms as in New York. DA. ayes TO-NIGHT. VARIETIES, ateP. M. ae FIFTH AVENUE THRATRE LORD DUNDREARY, at SP.M._ Sotl WALLAOR'S THE, THE MIGHTY DOLLA, at SI. ¥ TIVOLI THEATRE. VARIETY, at 8 P. M. iis.» GILMOR: GARDEN. GRAND CONCEKY, at 8 P.M. dr. Levy and Madame Pappenheim. THEA VARIETY, at 8 P.M. M. BOOTH'S Till SARDANAPALUS, at SP. Mo Mr. Bai Booth. woods M LADY GODIVA, ot 5 P.M. Ma K. BURLESQUE, COM«. nee st 2 P.M. WITH SUPPLEMENT. KEW YORK, Sane —- ~ = From our reports this morning the probabilities | are that the weather to-day will be warmer and partly cloudy, with, possibly, rain. “WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 1876, During the summer months the Herawp will be sent to subscribers in the country at the rate of twenty-five cents per weelc, free of postage. Wat Street Yestrenpay.—Speculation in the active stocks was generally irregular. Gold opened at 110 3-4 and closed firm at the same figure, with a few intermediate sales at 110 6-8. Money on call was in abundant supply at11-222per cent. Government bonds were dull and a shade stronger. Rail- road bonds were generally firm and in mod- erately good request. Tue Rowrxe at Purrapevrnra.—Again New York made a clean sweep yesterday, winning every one of the five events at Philadelphia. Tue Perris or THE Sea, in one of their most terrible forms, are described in a story which we publish to-day of three starving men who were rescued from a Spanish schooner in mid ocean. Deractnc Countenreit Notes.—The cir- culation of counterfeit bank notes will be materially lessened by the strict enforce- ment of the act of Congress requiring bank officials to deface such notes on presentation and thereby render them entirely worthless, The Secretary of the Treasury has issued a timely circular on the subject. A Stnevtar Stony or Crrve is that told to the police by Carl Burk, who alleges that he was robbed and thrown overboard from a Sound steamer on Monday night. It is a story which the detectives are slow to credit, but the rescued man being corroborated in many particulars his allegations are worthy of credence to the extent of a thorough in- vestigation. Tue Pracrice at Crexpmoon yesterday was highly encouraging for the friends of the American rifle team, the average being equal to anything ss yet shown at the range. It is also fifty points ahead of the best Wimbledon score for the Elcho shield. The Australian team also distinguished them- selves yesterday, and will be found on the day of trial formidable competitors. A Pecursarty Gracrrvr Act is the procla- mation of President Grant touching the death of Speaker Kerr. The tribute which the President pays to the memory of the deceased Speaker, both as a man and a statesman, has in it a loftiness and nobility seldom exhibited by our public men, and the President’s words are as earnest and touching as they are lofty and noble. Tue German Festivats which are now in progress in this city represent a very charm- ing and attractive phase in the character of aclass of our fellow citizens who evidently know how to enjoy life. Such healthful and innocent recreation, participated in by old and young, is sometimes in marked contrast to the ‘‘festivities” indulged in by represen- tatives of other nationalities. Many valu- able lessons in this respect might be learned from the Germans. Now Taar tae Arremrr at union between Tammany Hall and its opponents has ended ia failure both sides are loud in their ex- planations, The Tammany leaders think the proffered concessions were liberal and say the anti-Tammany leaders were insincere from the beginning, expecting better terms from the State Convention. ‘The anti-Tam- manyites, on the other hand, charge Tam- many with insincerity and say Tammany Hall is opposing Tilden because under a | democratic national administration the Cus- tom House would become too great 2 power in local politics. We allow both sides to talk. A Camparton ‘‘Rooxpack.”—The Indiana flemocrats have printed what purports to be 4 private letter from General Kilpatrick to Governor Hayes, giving a doleful account of the republican prospects in that State, and saying, among other things, ‘‘a bloody shirt | eompaign with money aud Indiana is safe; a financial campaign and no money and we are beaten.” Of course the pretended letter is e canard, and the invention is as stupid as it is dishonest. The Indiana democrats must take a gloomy view of their prospects when they resort to such desperate expe- dients. They do not explain where they got this precious document, | | York. | je nomination. NEW YORK HERALD WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 1876.—W. The Republicans at Saratoga. In one important respect the preliminary consultations among the assembled delegates and their volunteer counsellors tend to dis- appoint the unfriendly hopes of the demo- crats and relieve the fears of the repub- licans. There has been too much reason to expect that the same spirit of hostility to Senator Conkling, which was so active in the choice of delegates, would be carried to the Convention and become an element of dis- But it is apparent that good sense and moderation are to prevail over such im- pulses, and that, while there will be an animated contest for the leading nomination, it will be, in the main, a contest without bitterness, and that the Convention will escape the danger of a vindictive quarrel. A real desire for harmony seems to actuate a majority of the delegates and republican out- siders, and there isa fair prospect that there will be a truce to recent grudges and jeal- ousies during the State canvass. The battle is too doubtful and there is too much at cord, | stake for the party to plunge into internal dissensions, and the feeling that the Presi- dential election will probably be decided by the result in New York begins to exert a sobering influence. Senator Conkling himself is perhaps con- tributing more to the restoration of harmony than any other individual by standing aloof from the Convention in an attitude of wise forbearance. He has decided to leave the Con- vention to take its own course without any active attempt to influence its choice. Mr. Cornell is understood to chafe at this reserve and lack of zeal on the part of a man to whom he has been so unflinchingly loyal, but he is too much interested to be an im- partial judge. Senator Conkling doubtless owes Mr. Cornell much, but he owes more to the republican party ; and in a conflict between personal friendship and public ob- ligation the former must give way to the lat- ter inaconjuncture so critical. Even if it were in the power of Senator Conkling to control the Convention (which it prob- ably is mot) the nomination of Mr. Cornell would defeat the party in the election, and the worthless honor of a mere nomination would be purchased at too heavy a cost. Mr. Conkling is doing his duty—and for a man of his strong, im- pulsive, resentful nature it must be a diffi- cult duty—in declining to take up the gage of defiance thrown down by his enemies. This magnanimity and self-command de- serve recognition by the whole rerublican party. Senator Conkling has, of course, no share in the attempt to influence Mr. Cornell to make a voluntary withdrawal of his claims, for this is not necessary to ultimate har- mony. It is enough to leave Mr. Cornell to take his chances with the other candidates, and he will learn soon enough what his claims are worth when he has submitted them toa vote of the Convention. Having declined to fight his battle it would be un- seemly for Mr. Conkiing to do anything against him, and he will probably take no part in attempts to transfer Mr, Cornell's strength to any other candidate. If the party succeeds Mr. Conkling will deserve the credit of removing obstacles to harmony; if it fails, as in 50 doubttul a con- test it may, the result will be in no degree chargeable upon him if he abstains from turning the scale in favor of a candidate destined to be beaten. We would fain hope that when Mr. Cornell is withdrawn there may be a general concentration on Mr. Evarts, for in the event of his election be would make on admirable Governor. But we cannot blame Mr, Conkling if he for- bears to assert his power in any way and de- clines all responsibility for a nomination which might not result in an election. He will, of course, give his cordial and powerful support to the candidate, whoever he may be, and trust to the justice of the party for his own vindication. It seems most likely that Mr. Cornell will be out of the race after two or three ballots, and the main contest will then be between | Mr. Morgan and Mr. Evarts, with a prepon- derance of chances in favor of Morgan if either of them can get a majority. Morgan has more skill as a political manager, and would be likely, if nominated, to infuse greater | vigor into the canvass ; but Mr. Evarts would better satisfy independent voters and attract more support outside of the regular party lines. If the party is strong enough to suc- ceed by merely calling out a full republican vote Mr. Morgan is the more desirable can- didate ; but if it needs recruits from cther | | sources Mr. Evarts would have a much bet- ter prospect of enlisting them. Mr. Morgan would spend much money to promote his | own election ; Mr. Evarts would spend none, or next to none, and this consideration may perhaps determine the result. But, so far as yet appears, neither Mr. Morgan nor Mr. Evarts will have anything like s majority in the early ballots, and if the Cornell delegates should scatter it is very possible that neither of them will grow to a majority in any subsequent vote. In that case the dark horse will win, and nobody | ean tell which of the lesser candidates has the best chance of coming in as the dark horse. If neither Evarts nor Morgan should gain rapidly in the first three ballots the friends of all the minor candidates will stand firm, each set hoping that its favorito may at Jast turn up as the winning card. We assume that Mr. White is not a possible nominee, partly because his connection with the Cornells is too close and intimate, and also because he belongs to Western New It seems to be pretty well settled that Mr. Sloane, of Oswego, will be the can- didate for Lieutenant Governor, and the Convention is not likely to take both candi- dates from the same part of the State. The same consideration would exclude Mr. Pomeroy and Mr. Leavenworth, both of whom have been talked of in a faint sort of way. Robertson and Woodford, as well as Morgan and Evarts, reside | at this end of the State, and also Secretary h, whose name has been proposed by Mr. Weed, but whose son declares that he would under no circumstances accept the If, therefore, neither Mr. Mor- gan nor Mr. Evarts should get a majority, the ultimate choice would lie, according to present indications, between Judge Robert- son and Stewart L. Woodford. Mr. Wood- ford would be a weak candidate and Mr, Hoberison a pretty strong one, Woodford | direction. ran once for Governor against Hoffman, and was badly beaten. He is a pleasant, amiable declaimer, but does not carry guns enough foracampaign like this. Judge Robertson is a man of character and decided ability, who never ran for an _ office to which he was not triumphantly elected, He is the most popular republican in the river counties, and having supported all Governor Tilden’s reform measures in the Senate nothing could be said against him by the democrats on that issue. Among the subaltern candidates his chances seem decidedly the best. Mr. Cornell, although Senator Conkling does not choose to fight his battle, means to stem the tide ‘‘with a heart of controversy.” But he will not start with more than one- third of the delegates, and his vote is not likely to increase after the first ballot. To be sure, he thinks differently; but everybody knows how egregiousty he miscalculated Conkling’s strength at Cincinnati, and he is undera more tempting bias to exaggerate his own. Whena game of bluff has been once triel with a result like that at Cincin- nati it is not likely to succeed on a second attempt by the same player. The Coal Ring Broken. The dissolution of the combination known as the Coal Ring is an event which will cause rejoicing everywhere. A more gigan- tie wrong was never attempted. Six carry- ing companies sought not only to monopo- lize the whole business of transportation, but to regulate prices and production with- out regard to the interests of either pro- ducers or consumers. Fora long time the Lehigh Valley Railroad held out against the combination, but finally, in May Jast, it was coerced into an agreement with the others, and senta representative to the Board of Control, Now the combination is broken because the same road disregarded the terms of its agreement and continued to carry as much coal to tidewater as its facilities would allow. By way of reprisal the Hudson Canal Company, the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, and the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad will sell five hundred thousand tons of © coal at auction in this city on Tuesday next, and hereafter the price will be fixed by an actual demand, not an arbitrary supply. Under such conditions people will naturally rejoice that the Lehigh Valley Railroad did not live up to the terms of the agreement. No greater hardship can be imagined than an arbitrary scale of prices fixed for a whole year in advance by a con- scienceless Board of Control, with a supply also regulated by a prearranged schedule. ‘That consumers should be at the mercy of a heartless combination, having power not only to fix prices and regulate production, but to coerce or destroy any opposing cor- poration, was beginning to excite the gravest apprehensions. Ifallthe companies com- posing the Coal Ring had been in a sound financial condition and heartily in accord the power of this tyrannizing combination would have been greater than that ever pos- sessed by satrap or sultan. The whole country, including both consumer and producer, would have been completely at its mercy. Our shipping and manufacturing interests, the rich and the poor, the operator in the coal regions and the delvers in the mines would all have been compelled to submit to the dictation of a grinding mo- nopoly. Think of a company like the Le- high Valley Railroad being required to stop the transportation of coal for two weeks in August ‘‘to equalize the tonnage to its proper amount.” The use of such a phrase betrays an effrontery to which no people onght quietly to submit, and yet it is the language of the President of the Board of Control. Well may we rejoice that such a bold and un- scrupulous ring is broken ; but laws ought to be passed, especially by the legislatures of Pennsylvania and New York, to punish such combinations in the future as conspira- cies to defraud. The Position of Servia, It is plain that there has been already some hard fighting near Alexinatz, and by way of Constantinople it is even reported that the Servians have been utterly beaten. But we do not believe this story. General Tchernayeff had concentrated in front of that point an army of fair propor- tions, with which he occupied a good posi- tion. He was compelled to abandon his chosen position by the superior strategy of his enemy, and has no doubt learned that the Turks are largely superior to him in numbers, as he already knew they were in other respects. There has, no doubt, been some collision, which either side inter- preted in its own favor ; buts isive battle has not been fought, and if the Servian com- mander is wise he will be in no hurry to fight it. It is evident that in the several capitals of the interested Powers there is a growing excitement as to this conflict, and that sort of diplomatic fermentation which is to make it difficult to keep this war to its present proportions is very active. This stimulates the wiser ones to urge the propriety of me- diation and to act with some energy in that Servia is not in a position to decline the good offices of the great Powers in that way, and she will be entitled to bet- ter terms with an army in the field than with that army beaten and scattered, as it may bein a day or two if General Tchornayeff is too precipitate. It is true the Servians may this time beat tho Turks, but it is almost a forlorn hope. The tide of war does not often change in that way without some reason better than any now evident. In re- gard to the rumors of Russian intervention we can only say they do not come ina way to entitle them to much credit. If Russia supports Servia in this struggle it is not likely that it will be in the indirect and underhand manner indicated by the reports from Belgrade. In almost an ent, how- ever, come decided action will be taken by the great Powers within a very few days. Tue Divorce Ermrsic.—Domestic infe- licities are becoming so numerous lately that the lawyers who are in the divorce line of business have their hands full. It is difficult to account for the disruption of family ties in so many instances at one time, especially as in every case alleged cruelty on the part of the husband is the cayse of complaint. It is asad subject to contem- plate, although a fruitful one for the law- yers, The Four and a Half Per Cent Loan. The vigorous promptitude with which Mr. Morrill, the new Secretary of the Treasury, has taken in hand the important task of re- funding the public debt reflects credit on his energy and sagacity, and is in favorable contrast to the dilatory, do-nothing policy of his predecessor, Secretary Bristow. Mr. Morrill has decided to sell the authorized three hundred millions of four and a half per cent bonds, and nothing remains but or him to decide between eager sets of bid- ders. It would be idle to inquire at this stage of the business whether bonds might not be sold bearing a lower rate of interest. There is good reason to think that they might, and that four per cent bonds would be taken if they-were to run for a long period, ‘The four and a half per cent bonds are redeemable at the pleasure of the govern- ment at the expiration of fifteen years, and if the credit of the government should then be such that three and a half per cent bonds could be sold at par the government would be about as well off as by the present sale of thirty year four per cents, the one-half per cent excess paid forthe first fifteen years -being balanced by the one-half per cent less for the other fifteen, The purchasing Syndi- cate will no donbt find the transaction profit- able, otherwise Secretary Morrill would not be embarrassed by the bids of competitors. The annual saving to the government by the conversion of three hundred millions of six percent bonds into four anda half per cents will be four and a half million dollars, and we are too glad to see this step taken to cavil on minor points. The assured and im- mediate success of this loan as soon as it is offered justifies the severity of our comments last winter on the imbecile neglect of Sec- retary Bristow. There has been no material change either in the credit of the govern- ment or the state of the money market since the new five per cent loan was closed out ten months ago. There was no good reason why Secretary Bristow could not have disposed of the four and a half per cent loan then as easily as Secretary Morrill dis- poses of it now. His financial pusillanim- ity has cost the country throe and a half millions of dollars by the ten months’ de- lay. He asked Congress, in his report at the opening of the session, to extend the time of the four and a half percent bonds from fifteen years to thirty years, to enable him to sell them. Congress wisely forebore to make the change, and the immediate success of Secretary Morrill, without any alteration in the law, demonstrates the folly of that recommendation. It does not yet appear whether the whole loan will be awarded to the European Syndi- cate, but the great house of Rothschilds are understood to make this a condition of their taking-any part in the transaction, and with- out their aid it is doubtful if the loan could be promptly and securely placed. A former attempt to favor American bankers in the financial transactions of the government had such disastrous consequences, in the mem- orable instance when the old and solid house of Barings was supplanted by Jay Cooke & Co. and Clews & Co., that the government will naturally be cautious in trying a similar ex- periment a second time. We shall probably know in the course of the day whether the whole loan is taken by the Syndicate and on what terms it is disposed of, Rosser on the Little Horn Batile. There is apparently an opinion that inas- much as Custer and the gallant soldiers who perished with him are gone forever there can be no profit in any further words on the subject of that fatal fight, and that it is un- kind, if not unwise, to discuss the conduct of the survivors. To that opinion we do not subscribe, and we believe that letters like that we printed yesterday from General Rosser, as well as the previous one from, Major Reno, and, indeed, all intelligent dis- cussions and arguments upon the details of a combat that was typical of certain features of Indian warfare, are likely to be of public advantage. There is not and cannot be any intention to deal in an ungenerous spirit with Major Reno. General Rosser expressly dis- claims any such intention, and it is due to his character to accept the declaration fully. It can scarcely be necessary to disclaim on the part of the press any improper spirit, General Big for in all that has been said in the two | months in which this topic has been handled by writers of every stamp we do not remem- ber to have seen a harsh reflection made on the officer who commanded the troops when the resene, But from the stand- point of historical criticism facts must be studied apart from personal sentiment, and especially when in view of the future it is an historical criticism that may be eminently useful in fixing atten- tion on Indian tactics. It is the facts of a military operation that are considered in the present case, and if it is thought that the consideration involves unpleasant refer- ences to Major Reno it should bs remem- bered that in that respect he falls into the same category with every other soldier that | ever lived—‘‘!rom Macedonia’s madman to the Swede.” Observation is made on two separate points in the battle of June 25; first, as tothe handling of Reno’s column while it was on the same side of the river with the Indian village; second, as to what was done when it was withdrawn to the other side of the river. Itis alleged as to the first point that the charge on the Indian village was relinquished without suflicient reason; that upto the time the men were dismounted the force was intact, and that the retrograde movement was begun when the command had suffered no serious in- jury ; that though Reno saved his force by this movement it was not the safety of his | command that was contemplated by his orders, but such oa demonstration as would cover the crossing of Custer lower Gown the stream. It cannot be doubted as to this point that Reno was in retreat before Custer had made any attempt to cross the stream, and therefore there was clearly no co-operation, as the orders implied there should be. It seems also pretty clear that when Reno withdrew across the river, and while there was a lull in the fighting near him, all those Indians who had been active in that assault threw themselves into the assault just then beginning on Custer, Thus, instead of our division dividing the Indians, the whole In- dion force united fought us in detail. ITH SUPPLEMENT. As to the second point of observation, it must be remembered that the appearances are that Custer was completely surrounded, and by a force that he could not cut through; and if Reno had trom what he then knew of the Indian force reusoned as to Custer's probable position, and inoved to communi- cate with him, he might have relieved him. Comvarisons are not altogether just in such cases, yet it is hardly to be doubted that Custer would have tried this had he been in Reno's place and Reno in his. The Naval Outrage. Secretary Robeson’s General Order No. 216, just made public, presents his administra- tion in a sorry, not to say contemptible, light. The Secretary lays upon ‘the repre- sentatives of the people’ the burden of an iniquitous measure by which hundreds of gallant and meritorious officers, the bone and sinew of the active list of the navy, are placed on starvation pay. He is sedulous, after the manner of a special pleader, to prove his case by quoting from the Congressional Record; but he omits to state in this order that his estimate of $7,600,000 for, the pay of the navy for 1877, de- murred to by Congress, is just $1,350,000 in excess of the appropriation for the fiscal year which ended June 30, 1876; further, that these so-called ‘‘estimates” of his are not real estimates after all, but are obtained by computing the pay of offi- cers and enlisted men as if all were to be employed on sea pay for the entire year. ; But not over one-half of the officers of the navy are ever on actual bond fide ‘sea duty.” They are on shore and harbor ser- vice, leave of absence, waiting orders, sick leave or furlough, “Personalism” and “favoritism” are ram- pant ond utterly intolerable in the navy ; the retired list is prostituted, degraded and burdened with unworthy and worthless offi- cers, to the great scandal of the distinguished veterans obliged to be there by reason of their years and honorable wounds or disabil- ities incurred in the service of their country; the active list is weighed down with the burden of many drunken, inefticient and dishonorable men, who would be expelled from any other service in the world ; | yet Secretary Robeson tells the President and the country in his last report (1875) that “it is gratifying to be able to report that the navy is now in a stronger and more efficient condition than it has ever been at any time.” So his last act is to issue this “sugar coated” specious general order, by which some four hundred officers on the active list, including, of course, all those who have presumed to say anything before the committees adverse to his seven years’ management of the navy— men whoin the late civil war served under Farragut, Porter, Dupont, Foote, Dahlgren and others—are placed on a scandalous pit- tance. Nor does he properly exercise the right he asserts Congress has given him by placing on this furlough list only the un- worthy and worthless, of which there are so many; for, while brave and meritorious men are furloughed, every official favorite is securely on duty and will draw his full pay with unfailing regularity, and appointments to junior positions go on just the same as ever. Under this recent order such men as Rear Admiral Leroy, a gallant ond distinguished veteran of forty-five years service, will be placed September 1 on the same rate of pay as some worthless lieutenant located for life on Secretary Robeson’s retired list be- cause he could not pass his examination, and actually lower than the pay of some scores of junior officers now on the retired list but perfectly able to perform active duty and yet who are pensioned off on this list for life with seventy-five per cent of their full sea pay, and enabled to engage in any pursuit in civil life they may elect. This “disagreeable duty” of Secretary Rcbeson is a sham and a pretence, and no one knows it better than he does. What man believes that Robeson finds it a ‘disagreeable duty” to humiliate and annoy Admiral Porter by placing him ‘‘on furlough?” We commend this latest republican outrage to the democrats as a sort of mild set-off to the republican ‘‘out- rage mill” now grinding with such praiseworthy and persistent vigor in the administration organs. The Secretary sim- ply plays a piece of heartless but shallow trickery on the country. The House of Representatives put the appropriations at a figure sufficient for the real needs of the navy, but not sufficient to support itasa hospital for official favorites, and the Secre- tary, determined not to be thwarted, main- tains his favorites, but perverts the acts of Congress sons to make it an injury to the service and a blow at the best men in the navy. Pure Water a Vital Necessity. One of the most eminent authorities on sanitary science, Professor Maypother, M. D., has carefully investigated the physical character of water with a view to proving that its purity is absolutely essential to the health of its consumers. In giving us the results of his labors he establishes a stand- ard by which we can measure the degree of imputity calculated to endanger the public health. He states that ‘‘water when pure is inodorous, tasteless, and colorless, save in large quantities, when its normal tint seems a blue,” and further adds that ‘‘othershades are always due to organic impurity.” Itisa well known fact that the most deadly impurities due to sewage products can exist in water that is bright and sparkling to the eye; but such water has passed through a process of filtra- tion which removes the grosser particles of the deleterious solids, leaving only the soluble parts. Thus it is possible even by the use of jilters to clarify the filthy Croton and make it look like spring water, without, however, materially decreasing the danger attendant on its use, If, however, asin the case of the Croton, this process is not applied | to water that is known to contain almost every element calculated to produce disease, how much greater must be the danger to the public health? When water becomes highly charged with organic matter and is then distributed in large quantities to a vast population it is | idle to expect that each individual will | adopt any precaution against the dangers its use creates. We cannot hope that filtering apparatus, or even the simple process of boil- ing, will be applied in the crowded tene- ments of New York in order to lessen the evil of impure water, and the vital necessity, therefore, arises of purifying and preserving pure the water supply before it leaves the reservoirs, Among the causes of the im- purity of water for city supply cited by Professor Maypother as most common we find nearly all those which contribute to render the Croton water dangerous to health. The sewage from dwellings and factories, slaughter houses and piggeries, the drainage from cultivated and grazing lands; all the sourees, in fact, that pour their quota of filth into our Croton lakes, The effects of bad water on the human system are too well known to need descrip- tion here. It will be sufficient to state that the various forms of typhoid fever, cholera and diarrhcea are directly traceable to this source, and the instances are innumerable where disease arising from bad water has decimated populations. Such being the fact, can there be any wonder why our people ery out against the introduction of deadly poison into their households, when a little foresight, common sense and practi- cal knowledge would preserve us from this great danger? The Weather. As predicted in the Hznatp, the change of weather is upon us, and we are again experi- encing summer heat. The barometric con- ditions to the westward indicate that the aps proaching disturbance is a severe one, and it will be well to be prepared for heavy raing and high afterwinds. The area of high pressure has moved to the Middle Atlantic States, giving usa chang of wind from north- erly to southeasterly, which accounts for the risein temperature. As the storm approaches from the westward the winds will gradually shift to easterly, increasing in force as the low area advances. A gale prevailed last evening on the southern rim of the storm area at North Platte, and, heavy rains pre- ceded the disturbance, extending as far east- ward as Lake Michigan. Rain also occurred at the mouth of the St. Lawrence and on the Nova Scotia coast, due to the presence of the low area which recently passed our meridian through Canada, and which is now moving into the North Atlantic. On August 14 the Henatp predicted that ‘heavy fogs will be met off the Banks of Newfoundland and icebergs will add to the dangers of navi- gation in that latitude.” Since then ocean steamers and other vessels from European ports report the presence of large masses of ice in that vicinity. The weather to-day will be cloudy and warm, possibly with rain toward or during to-night. Trary Wrecxers.—The lowest depths of human depravity are sounded by those infamous wretches who make a practice of throwing passenger trains off the track of a railroad that they may have an opportunity to plunder the dead and the dying, the victims of their barbarity. It is as appalling a crime as that of Thomassen, the wanton destruction of innocent lives for the sake of cupidity. We publish to-day an account of a daring attempt made to throw a heavily laden express train off the track of the New York Central Railroad, near Rochester, the courage and presence of mind of a drover named George Adams alone preventing a terrible sacrifice of life. This inhuman prac- tice is becoming too prevalent on some of our trunk lines not to arouse the serious attention of the public. The railroad com. panies should act promptly in the matter, not waiting for some catastrophe to force them to resolute action. No mercy should | be shown to any of those scoundrels, wherever they are caught, until all fear of danger to the travelling public is removed. If there should be an excuse for the admin- istration of lynch law it is certainly in the case of a train wrecker. The army of tramps infesting the vicinity of railroads calls forthe most uncompromising action on the part of the authorities. PERSONAL INTELLIGENCE, Doré was never married. Nast will not lecture this year, London policemen are to have cork helmets, California is erecting so many hotels that the people will soon have ono apiece. Aton of honey fell on a Californian and killed him, Sweet are the uses of adversity. Councillor A. P, de Carvalho Borges, Brazilian Min- ister at Washington, is at the Hotel Brunswick. Mr, Marshall Jewell, of Connecticut, arrived in the city last evening and is at the Fifth Avenue Hotel. General Tom Ewing, of the Columbus district in Obio, is likely to be elected by the democrats to Con. gress. Count Ladisias Hoyos, Austrian Minister at Wash- inuton, and Count Koman Patocki and Count Joseph Drohojowski, of the Austrian Legation, are at tho Hot?! Brunswick. Lunaey ts still increasing in Ireland. At the close of last year the number of patients uuder the saperv: iou of the inspectors general was 11,777—an inerease ot 194 on the preceding year. The Odessa Messenger states that two Swiss Commis: sioners have gone to the Crimea to study the question of the practicability of an immigration ot Swiss agri cultarists to the country, The Strattord-on-Avon town council has decided, by a majority of one, to discontinue the ringing of the curfew bell. Thore was strong opposition to the pro- posal to discontinue this ancient custom, Penikese Islana, in Buzzard’s Bay, which John An- derson gave to Professor Agassiz for asummer school iu natural history, Bow reverts to Mr. Anderson, who proposes to make it his surumer residence, One thing the German docs not touch—his neigh. bor’s garden stufl However communistic his ideag about the public fruit trees, he never thinks of laying a finger on what belongs to the individual, Although the potato crop in Ireland is reported to be excellent, the harvest prospects in all parts threaten ta be seriously aflected by the long drought, and cattle in several districts are suffering from scarcity of water, Jonn Stuart Mill once said, privately, that there ought to be a gradation of electoral power, so that the more learned amano the greater number of votes he would have, Louis Blanc replied that if Mr. Mill could ata public meeting convince 600 ignorant men how they ought to vote, he would thereby cast 600 votes, When Emerson was in Paris, twenty-cight years ago—one ofa then more youthful company of social philosophers and ideahste, Monckton Milnos, Arthur Clough and W. H. Foster—h» came to a conclusion which be expressed in these words:—The French will have things theatrical. Goa wiil have things real,’” In the Mediterranean and on the coasts of Newfound. land the devil fish sometimes attains a body length of six or seven fect, with tentacles from twenty to forty foet long, and two years ago one was discovered by some fishermen near Baflla Island, Connemara, tho arins of which measured ten feet and the tentacies thirty feet, M. Louis Say, writing to the Secretary of the French Geographical Society, announces his jutention to make @ new Journey of exploration in North Africa with M. Largeaa during the coming winter, Tho chief otject 1s to endeavor to open up the commercial routes be- tween the basin of the Niger and Algeria and to make the ports of the French colony the outlets of these ines