The New York Herald Newspaper, December 29, 1878, Page 8

& NEW YORK HERALD BROADWAY AND ANN STREET. eae Sas JAMES GORDON BENNETT, PROPRIETOR. a NPEKLY WERALD—Ono dollar per year, free of post: —Remit in drafts on New and where neither of these tered letter. All to insure atten anged must xive perly seuled, te urned. 12 SOUTH SIXTH HE NEW YORK HERALD— UR DE LOPERA. O. 7 STRADA PACK, ACK’S THEATRE—Ar Last. SQUA \TRE—Tnk Baxken’s Daccuter. BOOTIVS THE PIPTH A NEW YORK AQUART GLOBE THEATRE—Osiy 4 RELLA, uR's DAUGHTER, Jaceces. WINDSOR THEATRE TIVOLI THEAT! VORY PASTOR N THEATRE—Vantery. EATRE—Momner ax Son. QUADRUPLE SHEET, YORK, x The probabilities are that the weather in New York: and its vicinity to-day will be cool and partly cloudy or cloudy, perhaps with light snow showers. To-morrow it will be warmer and fair, ollowed by increasing cloudiness. DAY.—The stock market nd strong. Gold sold at 100 vernment bonds were firm, roads strong. Money on Srrerr Yrs was fairly acti a 100 1-64. G States Jower and call was ea Tue Stock ExXcHanGe has got down as low as ten share lots. Heretofore the lowest allowable transaction was one hundred shares. IN THE GUMBLETON Manpamus Case yester- day there was a good deal of talk about “good faith.” It is in “good works,” however, that the public is mainly interested. Ir rH Goons shipped yesterday for the Mex- ican Exposition were sent by land what a mag- nificent thing it would be for the enterprising gentlemen on the Texas border! Above tnr Hicuianps the Hudson is entirely frozen over. In the lower part of the river there are large quantities of ice, but it is nowhere very thick or very strong. Tne Names of the noble army of municipal office-holders for the new year are elsewhere given. There is no doubt that, whatever else they may do, they will all draw their salaries with the utmost regularity. Ir, as Ir Is Crarmep, the Court of Special Sessions is illegally constituted, owing to the failure of the police justices to elect a clerk, it may be inorder to send up those well paid ofti- cials for a few months to take the places of some of those who, in the general jail delivery, will be set free. ‘Tue Exact bition of our relations with Mexico in regard to the border troubles is set forth in the text of the despatches on another page from Mr. Evarts to Mr. Foster. It will be seen that all we have demanded from our sister Republic is peace, and peace we are determined to have at any price. Sixteen Years Aco Frederick Eckert, a pri- vate soldier in a New Jersey regiment, was ved by a Confederate Minié ball at the second battle of Bull Run. Since then it haa been gradually moving around bis side until yesterday it touched the vital point, when he died. It at last found its billet. As Was Exrrctep from the very beginning, (Leary succeeded in outwalking Campana, the record of the match standing, O'Leary four hundred mi ud Campana three hundred and tifty seven—very slow time all round. By the articles of agreement the defeated pedestrian wus to receive a portion of the gate mouey, pro vided he made four hundred and fifty miles; but us neither made that distance the question arises, To whom will it go! Perhaps the lawyers will walk off with i Ix THE Opinion of the Attorney General's office there is some money in the Treasury which the Bluine Committee can legally draw upon, and they have deterniined to go ahead without waiting for an express appropriation from Con- gress. In reply to the call for specific informa- tion the Don Quixote of Maine has given a few Southern referen and dexterously dodged all further responsibility by informing the com- mittee that it was not his intention to become public prosecutor. ‘Tun Weratnen.—The changes in the condi- tions of the weather during yesterday in the Norther» triets were wrought chiefly by the movement in a sontheasterly direction from Munitoba over the upper Jakes and Canada of the margin of a depression whose centre must be at ent near the southern extremity of son's Bay. The winds over the lakes 1 from west to southwest, bringing higher temperatures and general cloudiness to that gion. On the New England coast the pressures varied but little, but a marked in- ereuse took place on the Middle Atlantic coast and a deerease southward from Cape Hatteras, ‘The barometer bas also fallen in the Northwest and Southwest, with |) r temperatures, southerly winds and cloudiness. The area of highest pressnre is now over the Ohio Valley ond Te ssee, The winds on the Atlantic coast have been moderate to strong, cansed by the advance of the highest pressure northeastward after the storm centre, which is now passing toward Newfoundland, Our special eable NEW YORK HERALD, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1878 a LEE aT: aie The Senatorial Elections in France. Elections to occur in France on January 5 will decide the exceedingly important issue in the current politics of that country— whether the Senate is to have a republican majority or to continue as it is with a ma- jority in the hands of the reactionary parties. No other point in French polities is of any moment by comparisoa with this one, fora republican success here will be the capture of the last redoubt held by the enemy; it will be the final’ overthrow of the hopes of all those who have counted upon a revision of the constitution that would restore some one or another of the monarchies, while the failure to get a re- publican majority will leave the way open for the indetinite renewal of such danger- ous enterprises as that of May 16. Republican success is regarded on very good grounds as well nigh certain, In our politics one can speculate pretty safely on the election of Senators some months be- fore the Senators are actualiy voted for, because their choice is commonly deter- mined inthe election of the bodies that choose them, On analogous principles it is judged that the republicans will have a majority of twenty-five in the French Sen- ate after the coming elections, for experts have counted to that effect in considering the politics of the actually chosen Senato- rial electors. But no election is ever abso- lutely certain until sundown on election day, and we have seen some that were not certain even then. Perhaps there will be as little opportunity to falsify the votes taken in France as there ever was anywhere to falsify the results of an election, and it the reactionary elements had no other hope than that they would likely abandon the field. There is always room tor error in counting results that must depend upon a force so changeful as opinion. How many “tidal waves” have we seen that did not come up to anybody’s instep, and how many times have we seen completed at the ballot box in a day sweeping changes for which the sharpest guessers had believed the people were not ready! There have never been greater mistakes made in count- ing upon men’s politics than in France. Thiers was elected at Bordeaux because he was a monarchist. His election was re- garded in the Chamber itself as almost equivalent to a restoration of the Orleans family. But the success of the republicans in these elections may be almost predicated upon change itself, for the tendency of all change in political opinion is toward that party. In so far as men change at all they change in that direction. There is no con- spicuous instance of a recantation of repub- lican faith. All the other parties are parties of the past ; the republican is everywhere the party of to-day and of the future. In France especially it is the only party that isin sympathy with any vital thought or has any definite purpose that itdare avow. All the other parties are intrigues, Cleri- eals, Chambordists, Orleanists, imperial- ists, MacMahonists—these so-called parties are merely small coteries of conspirators who look upon the French nation as a thing to be “‘cornered” in their political schemes. But this, of course, they dare not avow; and they do not seem to have the wit to invent any really plausible cover for their pre- tences. Clericalism is the more aggressive element, and this party will always havo some adherents, but can never be numeri- cally great in France, for the favorite super- stition of Frenchmen is the hatred of priests. All the Chambord campaign has resolved itself into the occasional publica- tion of an amiable letter from the shallow- witted recluse of Frohsdorf, and the Bona- parte campaign has been handed over to Cassagnac, who fights now andthen. In one pointall these elements agree—that they have no common policy except abuse of the Republic. In its present frame of mind the French nation somewhat resembles an urchin who rather more than suspects the reality of that awful black man who is to come and carry him away if he is not a very good boy. They are rather amused than otherwise at the awfu! pictures of radical- ism held up to frighten them. ‘They do not scare so well as they did, They have become too much used to the machinery, and they know as much about the bugaboo as the people who show it to excite juvenile terror. Since 1793 the great weapon against the Republic in all countries has been this sume story of the terrible things that wonld come to pass if it should obtain power. Every murder done in the Reign of Terror is quoted as an example of republican policy. One might suppose that the world had forgotten all about its Bloody Marys, and its Ivans the Terrible and its other crowned butchers, and that no monarch had ever taken a human life unjustly, to see the way that official savagery is complacently set down to the score of the Republic. But this ever ready repetition of the same old story has had its inevitable effect of making people used to it, of making it ineffective for any political purpose, and of making | | of topics interesting, and, no doubt, in- ridiculous and contemptible the party that uses it. It has led, moreover, to the re- flection on the part of the people that this same sort of impeachment of the republican party—this same system of playing upon popular terror—has opened the way to all oppressors, and that the twenty years of imperial corruption resulted from this same fear of republican motives, excited as much by a few idiotic republicans as by their | astute enemies. Hence a determination to control eccentric republicans and a dispo- sition to suspect the motives of all parties that adopt this systein of endeavoring to | discredit the Republic by playing upon the ignorant fears of the people. With the expulsion of the reactionary ele- ments from the Senate France will have done | | with that sort of opposition which is hos- weather reports from England show that | the conditions on the south and west consts Just evening were as follows :— St. Cathorine’s Point, wind west, fresh, rain, | barometer 29:67 inches, ther- Falmouth, wind south, hazy weathe mometer 42 ¢ east, fresh, rain, barometer 2! wind south-southeast, fresh, weather thiek, with rein, barometer 20.50 inches; Holyhead, wind south-southeast, moderate, barometer 2.44 inches. In New York and its vieinity to-day the weather will be cool and partly elondy or cloudy, possibly with light snow showers. ‘To- morrow it will be warmer and fair, followed by increasing cloudiness. Plymouth, wind south- | 38 inches; Seilly, | tile, not within the fair limits of Parlia- mentary difference, but whose hostility | | never comes distinetly within those limits. It is necessary to distinguish between this kind of opposition and that which is a legit- imate organ of popular opinion in all tree governments, Constitutional government } the constitution,” and parties outbid one another in their claims to be regarded as the especial champions and detenders of the constitution. But the op- position of the reactionary elements in France is extra constitutional. They have sought victory with the avowed object of destroying the constitution, They were the declared enemies of the government that protected their attempts to destroy it. ‘That sort of opposition naturally excites passion, and it is because there has been so much of it in Prance that the guillotine was a recognized part of their politics. ‘They will get overall that on January 5, and for that reason the day will be an exceed- ingly important one in their political his- tory. Grant in In the letters from San Sebastian and Vittorin, which we give to-day, will be found an interesting chronicle of the de- tails of General Grant's visit to Spain. Our correspondent relates with minute at- tention the impressions of this part of the ex-President’s trip to Europe. In no coun- try was the great American soldier more royally received, nor is any other part of Europe more rich in noteworthy associa- tions for the visitor from this side the Atlantic, and if followed through all the steps of his Spanish trip with the same faithful record the correspondence will prove an exceedingly interesting history of the travels of our great soldier, An ex- tremely happy sketch of Alfonso, the ju- yenile monarch, is a pleasant part of the story; and the obvious contrast of the youngster on a throne, and all the cares of administration to trouble, with the tried veteran who has gone through such storms of peace and war, is not lost in the narrative. Alfoaso’s invitation, which found Grant sauntering ai Biarritz, evidently pro- cured for the General one of the pleasantest episodes of his voyage abroad. Spain, Mr. Lester Wallackh’s Reappearance. While some managers are lamenting dramatic decadence, and others are blowing sturdy blasts upon the shownian’s bugle to better advertise their bizarre theatric wares, it is gratifying to turn to an artist who, as actor and manager, attends strictly to his business, and, procuring the best that is to be had, leaves the rest to the good sense of press and public. Mr. Wallack’s long-con- tinued success is proof that the best pays. The immense profits reaped now and then by some flashy or meretricious per- formance have scared some conscien- tious managers and driven then into all kinds of queer ventures ; but when the mo- mentary craze died out, the lean kine of bad seasons soon devoured the fat kine of the prosperous ones. Dramatic art in this country is indebted to Mr. Wallack for his undeviating faith that good plays, well mounted and well acted, are sure guides to public favor. As one of the best managers in the country he has earned a name which would alone be enviable ; but when to this is added his repute as an actor of high comedy, uniting in his style the breadth and vigor of the old school with the detail and finesse of the new, he may fairly claim a place among the highest in the profession. Never anxious to thrust himself before the public, he, however, often allows months of his comedy seasons to elapse before appearing himself, thus giving the talented members of his company an opportunity of achieving distinction. This undoubtedly adds a zest to his renlrée, and the first Lester Wallack night is cense- quently a festival in its way. To-morrow evening he comes before the footlights for the first time this season, and in a new play. He can count ona warm reception, The appearance of that fine artist, Mr. Coghlan, on the same occasion will make the per- formance of ‘‘At Last” a memorable one in dramatic annals, and we can only hope that the play will be worthy of the players. Pulpit Topics To-Day. Christmas and New Year's topics wil! be largely discussed to-day by our city pas- tors. Of the former Mr. Davis will speak of the wise men of the Orient who sought a king and found a child; Dr. King will speak about the bright and morning star; Dr. Howland will speak of the birth of Christ in its relation to men and angels and of Christ Himself in His humanity sharing the lot of the humblest. Of New Year topics Mr. Rogers will say farewell to 1878; Mr. Smith will gather up the fragments of the closing year; Mr. Hatfield will recount the political and moral events that have occurred dur- ing the year, both local and national; Mr. Sweetser and Mr. Colcord will draw les- sons for their hearers from the flight of time; the speaking past will utter its voice through Mr. Hull, and the past, present and future through Mr. Searles. The dis- cernment of time, by Mr. Wilson, and the peril of wasted time, by Mr. Moment, and a voice from the vanishing year, by Mr. Lloyd, who will foot up the gain and loss spiritually of the year, will make this class structive also. ‘The pre-millennial and ad- vent theories are still under discussion by Mr. Kennedy, who to-day will close with a diseussion of the judgment, the final apos- tasy and the end of all things; by Dr. Knapp, who will consider the first resur- rection as one of the triumphs of Christ's second advent; by Dr. Smith, who will also include the great tribulation, the second advent, the millennium and the judg- ment in his budget of topics; by Mr, New- ton, who will present the Scriptural view of retribution, and by Dr. Fowler, who will give the Bible views concerning the state of the impenitent dead, Mr. Seward will talk | about redemption, Dr. Peabody about the surety of God's foundations and the relief of the heart, and Dr. Tyng about the cross as the measure of sin. Mr. Corbis will present the most valnable thing in the world to man; Mr. Hepworth will give us something to depend on and Mr. Richmond | will show how Christ's poverty makes us necessarily implies the existence of parties, | ing views on all issues of public concern. But in opposition of that kind all parties are of one opinion as to the limits of opposition. It is always ‘within | and the existence of parties implies oppos- | |on the human mind; rich, Mr. Jatten will tell us how daily ad- ditions to the Chureh may be obtained; Mr. Ackerly will speak about the love of life; Di. Blanchard about the effects of alcohol Mr. Burch about Christ as a counsellor, and Dr. Tucker about the morale of Christendom as affecting missions. Increased Facilities for City, Travel. The question of the expedienoy gfallow- ing a ‘horse car railroad to be laidron;Broad- way; between Union square and:the Bat- tery, is not new to the people of this city, ‘There has been a very decided public sen- | timent in opposition to the surrendering of this thoroughfare for such a purpose, both on the part of the property holders and of citizens generally, who have desired to keep at least one great avenue free from railroad tracks and available for military parades and similar displays with which we are occasionally favored. But the char- acter of the business of this portion of Broadway has undergone a decided change within the past ten or twelve years, and what might have injured property on the line of the thoroughfare ten years ago might benefit it now. Both the preperty owners and the public may take a different view of a Broadway railroad to-day from that they entertained twelve or fifteen years ago, and as the character of city travel is just now undergoing a radical change there may be no longer any serious objection to‘supple- menting the rapid transit lines east and west of Broadway by a horse railroad on that thoroughfare. The matter is one that at least deserves consideration and discussion, ‘The old omnibuses are cumbersome, noisy and as much out of date as stage coaches, and it may be thought expedient to try the experiment of a more commodious and effi- cient means of accommodating the large travel that is still attracted to Broadway, especially as there is some danger that wit! out the convenience of horse cars, at five cents fare, traffic may be drawn from the cen- tral thoroughfare below Union square by the tringing rapid transit roads. A large and important share of the busi- ness of the city is now and always will be transacted on and around the lower part of Broadway, south of the City Hall, and this would, no doubt, be accommodated by a Broadway railroad. The Third avenue rapid transit line now contemplates ter- minating its Chatham square and City Hall branch at the north end of the City Hall Park, which, in view of the large travel south of the Post Offico, is about as sensi- ble as it would be to bite off the Harlem end of the line five or six blocks this side of Harlem Bridge, or the Battery end about four squares north of the South ferry, Mr. Field should be shrewd enough to recognize the inexpediency of such a deficient work, and should at once continue the City Park branch to the present terminus of the Third avenue horse car railroad line. Nineteen out of every twenty passengers on the Third avenue elevated road who will ride to the City Park terminus go south of the Post Office, and if people are compelled to walk as far as Chatham street to take the Third avenue road they are very likely to prefer to walk to Park place and ride over the Sixth ave- nue line. It will be as profitable to the company as it will be convenient to the public if the City Park terminus of the Third avenue elevated road is carried to the south end of Park row, instead of being cut short, as is now proposed, at Tryon row. Racing Prospects for 1879. Never were the racing prospects of the country so encouraging as at the present time. From all the leading assuciations in the land cheering accounts reach us of largely increased numbers of entries for the stakes to be run for. At home our jockey clubs are flourishing satisfactorily, the American having a large balance sheet for 1878, with the prospect of having it consid- erably augmented the coming year. The Monmouth Park and Saratoga associa- tions have become reconciled about their times of meeting, and taking into con- sideration the favorable reports that reach here from the various training stables in this neighborhood that have entries for the several fixed events at Jerome Park for 1879, besides the new stakles which are being formed and the increase of new and active members to the American Jockey Club, we see in all these a revival of confi- dence and an increased interest in turf matters throughout the land. The breeders of thoroughbred horses are alive to the oceasion, and fresh importations of the best blood of Great Britain and France are being made to keep up the quality as well as the quantity of high mettled horses for racing purposes. Unchastity and Inhumanity. In another column one of the Hrniwp’s readers expresses the indignant sentiment of thousands of others upon the action of the Michigan villagers, who, on Christmas Eve, drove a dissolute woman, penniless and friendless, out of their town and into the freezing plain to die. Even pirates and mutineers, when they cast men adrift in boats on the open sea, have the habit of sending food and clothing with them, and it naturally appears to every one that unless the residents of Alpena had by some legal or divine authority been constituted execu- tioners they would have been at least as merciful as the offscourings of the ocean, Even ‘Poker Flat,” a mining settlement, not to be suspected of church bells or any sentimental humanity, gave food and con veyance to its famed ‘‘outcasts.” Perhaps, however, the Alpena disgrace was the re- sult of sudden and unrestrained indigna- tion, which is everywhere, among Chris- tians as well os sinners, and in good fellows as frequently as in brutes, tho cause of the mobbings, lynchings and other brutalities that disgrace socicty whenever men displace principle by passion, And, without excusing in the slightest the in- humanity of Alpena, it must be remem- bered that to society in o country vil- lage the appearance of a woman with whom unchastity is a trade is more appalling, in moralsense, than the advent of o horse thief, whom every one will admit should be driven away. Our correspondent very properly holds that society should help the living as well as weep over the dead, and should strive to reform fallen women before it is too late; that the great social sin should be prevented, so that there may be fewer of its perpetrators to suffer and to don harm. He is right, and society cannot die too strongly impressed, with the wisdom of his suggestion, But while avaricions employ- ers who wear out the lives of a i QUADRUPLE SHEET. women are not to be overlooked, thero are many other causes of woman's ruin, and the one which is most dangerous is the recklessness of woman in her relations with men, Whatever is most worth saving is most deserving of care, but it is a lamentable fact that a numberof honorable, womanly feelings and sentiments which are generally classed among the affections have no guide but impulse, and that many women who are by nature scrupulously honest, truthful and conscientious in all things else, are apt to forget that affection does not justify any carelessness in the matter of seli-preservation. ‘Ihe subject, though a delicate one, is easy of compre- hension to whoever has occasion to study it, andit should be regarded more care- fully than it is by parents, teachers, cler- gymen and every one else who is in any way responsible for the mora! welfare of the race, A Suggestive Dinner Party. In another column the story is told of a dinner party which, however amusing in details, has a suggestiveness about it that should not be overlooked amid the records of such banquets as the New England gathering, where states- men sit down with set speeches on national topics in their pockets. Nan the Newsboy and his comrades have begun a work in the cause of humanity which was too long neglected. It was natural, per- haps, that Captain Boyton, in his life-sav- ing enthusiasm, should wish to show the brave lads that he recognized their work along the river fronts of this city at its proper worth, but New York might ask itself with advantage whether this little volunteer band of heroes shall not be the nucleus of an organization worthy of our rich metropolis. In six months three lads lave saved twenty-four lives; and when we re- member how many were lost in the river besides we can see how usefully their work might be extended under properly directed patronage. . Reminiscences of an Empire. Early in the present month we printed some extracts from a series of articles con- tributed to the Revue de France by Mr. Mas- seras, on his observations of the career of the Archduke Maximilian in Mexico. Sume statements made by Mr. Masseras were referred to a gentleman resident in Mexico in that period as Consul of the United States and Minister, and now in this city—Mr. Marcus Otterbourg, one of the police justices—and we give in an interview with that gentleman the results of this reference. It will be observed that Mr. Otterbourg’s re- membrances do not agree with those of Mr. Masseras at all points, and it will be noted that he gives a more particular and inside account of that queer fiasco, the voyage of Mr. Campbell to Vera Cruz, and his sudden and unex- plained flight. On one important point Mr. Otterbourg comes handsomely to the rescue of Mr. Seward’s memory. Ho declares hjs good reasons for believing that Mr. Seward intended to demand perempto- tily of the Mexicans that they should spare the life of*Maximilian, Had this demand been then made in a proper tone it would certainly have been conceded, for the Mexicans then recognized what they have hastened to forget, that they were indebted to the United States for the de- parture of the French from their country, But Mr. Seward could not give his demand effect, for we had no Minister there.. He was in New Orleans, like a dear little Min- ister, solicitous about his bodily comfort. By the time this Minister's resignation was accepted and an appointment sent to Mr. Otterbourg Maximilian was executed. ‘Therefore the responsibility for the murder of Maximilian, so far as it falls to the share of civilized creatures, does not belong to Mr. Seward, but to Mr. Campbell. ig Always with You. For some days the Hznarp has been giving the public considerable information, under the above title, of the whereabouts of the suffering poor. Some good results have followed our announcements, but the half- heartedness with which well-to-do people respond to charitable appeals is uncom- plimentary to both humanity and Chris- tianity. Absolute suffering exists in many homes in this city, and if anything is re- quired to prove the dexerving nature of some of the poor who lack for everything it may be found in the magnificent pluck with which they suffer and starve rather than beg. Organized charities profess to relieve such cases, and some of them strive earnestly to do so, but no associated effort can take the place of individual work among the poor. Poverty does not rob men and women of self-respect, if they have the genuine article. The condition and needs of such people can only be learned by that quality of personal investi- gation which is delicate as well as shrewd, and in which a sense of superiority does not banish true sympathy. Let the thou- sands who are benevolent at heart as well as well-to-do in pocket charge themselves with individual cases or neighborhoods, remembering that charity does not consist in almsgiving alone, but in the expression of that feeling which assures the poor and the despairing that they are still members of the great human family and are as likely as any other unfortunates to regain their feet and their power of self-support if they are temporarily aided. Give Us a Mouthful of Air, A great many people will slumber fitfally in church to-day, and several times as many will avoid the same irreverent ope- ration only by preventives which are more annoying ond agonizing than the sense of having nodded would be, and much of this will happen because sextons do not know how to prepare a church for Sunday use, Asa rule church doors and windows remain closed for a week at a time, thé woodwork and upholstery of the interio® absorb- ing all the moisture and much of the oxygen that is in the atmosphere. On Sat- nrday, however, the sexton usually kindles o fire in the church's furnace, and for nearly twenty-four hours before the first Sanday morning service the hot air from the furnace is being sucked or forced into the building. The natural results follow; ‘the congregation becomes, first, extremely decqrous and conservative; then each person in the audience, except- ing, perhaps, those who stand near the door, begins to yawn and fidget; the little chil- dren grow fretful and then pallid, and finally the preacher's words or the sen- tences of the liturgy fall upon dulled ears in a sort of meaningless iteration of bother- some sounds, All the annoyance alluded to, all the apparent neglect, the inattention and the unintentional mockery of the ser- vice, might be prevented if sextons would open all windows an hour or two before ser- vice, thus giving deoxygenated air an op. portunity to escape and be replaced by the heaven-given atmosphere which, consider. ing its cheapness, ought to be easier to obtain on Sandays. Law and Coms20n Sense. Judge Davis’ suggestion that it is good to inject a little common sense into law pro- ceedings may be very well in theory, but there is some doubt as to its practicability. Judge Sutherland has quashed an indict- ment found against the members of the Board of Health bya grand jury six or seven months ago for having licensed and allowed the existence of a nuisance dangerous to life and health. ‘The Court holds that before the Board of Health can be indicted for neglect of duty in such a case the busi- ness complained of must have been judi- cially determined to bea public nuisance, or have been pronounced such at a meeting of the Health Commissioners as a Board. No action of the kind having been had the Court argues that the Health Commission- ers had no more power or right to abate the supposed nuisance than is possessed by any unofficial citizen. The allegation that the business was a nuisance, or that the de- fendants knew it to be such, is held to be merely the unwarranted:conelusion of the grand jurors who found the indictment. This, as we have said, may be good law. It is certainly not common sense. The official duty of the Health Commissioners, as declared by the law, is to license cer tain descriptions of business; to refuse licenses to others which are specified in the law ; to require such as are licensed to conform to specified sanitary regula- tions, the neglect of which renders them nuisances dangerous to the public health; and to be watchfal and vigilant in suppressing all such establishments as are not licensed, or as violate the sanitary regue lations laid down for their observance. It was shown to the satisfaction of the Grand Jury that certain establishments did exist before the eyes and under the noses of the Health Commissioners which are plainly designated by the law as dangerous public nuisances, and which the Board of Health is prohibite@ from licensing and required to-suppress if they are carried on with- out. licenses, or without observing the regulations set forth by the law for their guidance. If, as Judge Suther« Jand’s decision declares, it was neces- sary a8 a preliminary step to decide judi- cially that the business complained of waa a public nuisance before the Health Board could be required to interfere with or sup- press it, then the law creating the Health Board is a nullity, and the Health Board itself is useless. This latter conclusion has, indeed, been already reached by the people of New York without Judge Suther~ land’s aid. It will, however, be news to them that public officials who are required to perform certain specified duties have no more authority in the matter than any ‘‘un- official citizen,” and that officers of the city government who have flagrantly neglected to enforce laws which they are appointed and paid to enforce cannot be held to answer for the offence. PERSONAL INTELLIGENCE. Wilkie Collins still refuses to conclude Dickens" “Edwin Drood.” The Turks when describing a Greck girl say that she is kneaded up with tricks. London Fun:—“A week-old baby, if allowed to live to its second childhood, will end in becoming a weak old man.” . The Cincinnati Commercial speaks of gas as almost the light of other days. Yes, indeed, and we shall have another kind of daze, soon. Galignani’s Messenger :—“The porte-bonheur brace- Jet is fastened on the arm by a padlock, the key being suspended as a charm to the watch chain.’ Even on the coldest days of winter the men of News ark walk with bended elbows, This comes from the habit of slapping at mosquitoes in summer. Galignani’s Messenger :—Dam@ssé and plaid are in all prices. Plaid satin, plaid velvets, plaid ribbon velvet and plush are used for enlivening plain woollens.”” Mr. Blanchard Jerrold has received from the King of the Hellenes the gold cross of the Order of the Saviour (with military rank) for his labors in the Kast in favor of freedom and Christianity. Attorney General Devens was in Boston yesterday and visited the United States Court. He will leave Boston carly on Monday morning for this city, where he will join the Presidential party. Galignant’s Messenger :—"Morning gowns are made of plush, The new morning cap is made of any fine, silky organdie or supple Indian material; but it must be crimped all over and thus imparts a crape-like ape pearance to even heavy brocade,” Certainly there is no more beautiful city in the country, for ite situation, than Newbury, N. Y., with its great mountains and its expansive bay, But what do the people find to amuse themselves with in wine ter, when they cannot all go proudly down to the wharf to sce the passengers come off the boat? ‘The President and Mrs. Hayes, Vice President Wheeler, Secretary Evarts and General Sherman will leave Washington on the half-past nine express train to-morrow morning for New York. To-morrow evening they Will attend the annual meeting of the New York Historical Society. The party expect tore turn to Washington on Tuesday, In ® poor part of London the authorities of St. Mary's Chapel threw open bath and wash houses, and since August last the effect upon the people has been apparent, At four cents one may have warm ba' with soap, towels and brashes, and at three conta an hour there are accommodations for washing, dry« ing and ironing, blankets for the latter included, In seventeen weeks 25,000 baths were taken and 4,000 washers used the place, London Kraminer:—“If anybody should take the trouble to look through the files of the New Yore Hxnatp in the carly days of the secession war he would find an article on the attitude of England in which, with # frankness to which we are not accuse tomed in English journalism, the leading organ ot transatlantic public opinion confesses that what really gave umbrage to the Americans was not oursympathy with the South, but the tone of superior wisdom eewumed by our press in discussing the affairs of the Union, It is not often that the truth is so clearly spoken; DUt we believe that, in cetimating the causes of the unpopularity attaching to England abroad, too great stress can hardly be laid upon onr national’ habit of giving foreign countries to know that we un derstand their own affairs far better than they do themselves,”