li l"ggS"gBE-- . frte grader. Ottawa, III., 9aturdajr, lleeembei 17, lHttl. murd at foul Oflc at OUaiM, III, M a'con Ci(i """" J,iU Mutter. OUR CLUBBING We we prepared to club the Fukk Tkadku with thcfollowiugpublications.iurnishingboth at tne prices named, postage prepaid. Tlie ffer open to old subscribers or new at any fiOBt c.lti:e in the county is the cheapest bvkk maoe in this county : Fheb Tradbr and Chicago Weekly Timm..92M Tana Tradbr anu cuieago Weekly Triton. 3.B5 ra Tunnn mid Ctiiratro Weekly Inter- co-u -. r Ocean Fbhb Trader and Chicago Weekly Journ.il, 'i.tVt Freb Trader and St. Louis Itrpublifan 2-ft b-d.o Tmiittt and St. Louts Olobe-ltrnutrral. 'J.tift Tu 4 nxu and N. Y. Weekly HeraUt.... 'J.a Frkb Trader and Amrrkan AarkultarM . . . ii.0 run Tuiiikh and Prairie. Farmer 3.00 Tiintu Rnd either of Harper's publi cations -lr Tkbb Trader and Scribner Frbb Trader and OmUy' Lwlief Hook .1.00 Free Trader and rhrmotofieal Journal.... 3.00 Free Trader and ,S'(. AVM.m...... 3-JJ0 Fbbb Trader and JktnorC Monthly J.vft Fkbs Trader and IMteWt Living Aye H.'A Vbeb Trader and Wertern Jiural.. . . ... ... . . 3.00 Trader and Moore' $ Rural Atv Yorker 3.50 The Illinois Stato Temperance Alliance ha issued a call for a state temperance conven tion, to be held at Springfield on Tuesday, the 37th of January, 182. That excellent Baptist paper so long known as the Examiner and Chronide, has dropped the latter cognomen, and is now simply The Examiner. It is a Bplendid family paper, pub lished in New York City at $2.50 a year. Rail laying on the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad was completed last Saturday to Laredo. This gives a direct and unbroken line of 1,300 miles from the Mississippi at St, Louis to the Rio Grande at Laredo. The road will be energetically pushed from Laredo to the City of Mexico, a distance of 700 miles, of which 300 are already graded. The executive committee of tho Illinois Press Association met in Chicago tho other day and decided to hold the next annual meet ing at Springfield February 11th, 1882, and it arrangements can be made with the railway corporations, to go on an excursion to the Hot Springs of Arkansas. The committee seem to Appreciate the need oi the boys to have a good washing up. The strange relation comes from New York that the Rev. John P. Newman, so widely known as chaplain in ordinary to President "Grant and a pillar of tlie Methodist Church. has accepted the pastorato of a Congregations! Church in New York City, and has lured the Grants away from Methodism into the same communion, the gallant and pious General anu cx-prcsiucm uiniseu ucing a irusico in me now relislous venture. ' There is not, only no abatement of the small pox epidemic in Chicago but it appears to be steadily on the increase. It is said also to be alarmingly on the increase in St. Louis, while we reaa daily of the disease appearing in citieH and villages all over this and adjoining spates. It was, therefore, no less judicious than in apt time lor the Illinois Stato Hoard of Health to issue an order, as they have done, for tho vae uuiuuu wi an imiuieu niuuiuiug 111 u jiuuiic schools. Tho order is to take effect from and after tho 1st of January. The well and not over favorably known "Pobb Shepherd," erstwhile of Washington City, has met with a melancholy fate. Tho cli mate about Washington having become uncon genial to his well-being, he betook himself to Mexico, and it is stated while visiting an old dine recently in Chihuahua, he was bitten in the leg by a tarantula. The poison caused an uuftaat swelling in tho limb, and the prospect is that the saving of hia life will depend upon amputatiou. Among the curiosities at tho great Atlanta Exposition is the smallest editor in tho world. 'le represents the Key West (Florida) Demo ' is 40 inches high and weighs 35 pounds. While be don't display much in size, ho is rep resented as an entertaining talker and is thor ovgly informed upon any of the usual topics i. the day. He goes by the name of General Sawyer, and hits already written several edito ials on the Kxposition a good deal heavier than himself. The JliKon .s'"i issues a Christmas edition of 1C pages, cut and pasted and tho publisher raUicr prides himself upon the achievement. While the Sun is about the most ably edited Illinois county paper on our exchange list, there don't seem to be a vast deal to boast of in getting out a 16 page edition when half the pGC8 are prepared and printed at a patent in snJe newspaper manufactory in Chicago, and thieeor four more pages consist of handbill advertisements. The New York papers of Sunday announce the death in that city on the 17th inst-nf Isaac I. if ayes, best known throughout the country a a successful arctic explorer; though In New York be had attained considerable prominence 7ui, politician, representing a district f the ci'.y in the state legislature for several terms ol -2ixh body he was a leading and influential mcuilx r. Ottawa people will remember him 84 faring, soon after his return from the arc tic regions, delivered a lecture in tho I.aptist ckiTcu in this city. His health had been fail- iLt; lor two or three years past, and he died at tbe age of forty-nine years. Toe squabble over the Ottawa postollice ha caj'.-a mine appointment oi v. t.. iJowman, Congressman Cullen having urged his ap jvMDUncnt on the ground, as his organ, the Ot Uv' t Jlrji'iitlinin, assures us, not only that he w&s 'OLe peer of any gentleman seeking the fKMiiion in qualifications, suavity and servic tioJered both the public and the parry," but k. petition was signed by the largest number ot republican citizens interested in the office It u none ot our funeral, and as no one can LuU Mr. Uowmtn'a abundant ability to di- chvge the duties of tbe office and to make a i'cant,accommodating and popular officer ,we have nota single murmur touttor against him. Yet (saying nothing about this cool assump tion that none but republicans had a right to be consulted about an appointment in winch all are so deeply interested) our coteinporary is "mighty right" in the statement that there is "sore disappointment" over Mr. Cuilen's selection and "personal grievances against our congressman" on that account. For instance, the Germans are very freely stating around town that a year ago last April when Mr. Cul len needed the votes of two or three German delegates in the La Salle County Republican Convention to beat Bushncll, In; then and there solemnly promised, if sent to congress, to urge the appointment of John I'urrucker as post matter of Ottawa, and that on that understand ing alone the German delegates voted for him. Hut that is one oi those agreements that are "more honored In tho breech than the observ ance," and always pass (or very white lies among republican politician and seldom hurt them. THE FATE OF THE JEANETTE The thrilling intelligence was flashed over the wires on Tuesday frohi away oil" in North- Eastern Siberia, that the greater part of the crew of tho long lost and diligently sought for Arctic exploring steamer Jeanette had turned up at the mouth of the Lena river on the north-east Siberian coast, after the ill-fated veK sel hatl been crushed in the ice, and the crew, escaping in sledges and boats, had made a journey of over three hundred miles, dragging their boats over tho ice a great part of the way, arriving finally in a deplorable condition at the mouth of the river Indicated. The craw left the wrecked Jeanette in lat. 77 degrees 15 seconds, longltudo 157 east. Tlie catastrophe occurred on June 11th, 18H1, unou which tlie crew left in boats and sleds, in three parties, and made good their retreat in company to within 50 miles of the mouth of the Lena, where they were separated in a gale. The whale boat, in charge of Chief Engineer Mel ville, with 11 men, reached the mouth of the river September 17th, but was stopped from ascending it by ice. A village of natives, however, was fouud there, who rendered as distance. Another of the boats, the first cutter, in charge of Lt. Commander Do Long, with 13 men, arrived about the same time at an other point on tho mouth of the Lena, in a de plorable condition, short of provisions and some of the men badly frost-bitten. Engineer Melville at once sent word to tho Russian com mander at Halocmga, who sent instant relief to the Melville party and promised, Oct. 29th, to send relief to De Long and his party in the first cutter, meantime sending sccuts to find i hem. The second cutter, in charge of Capt. Duii bar, with 8 men, had not been heard from when tho intelligence was sent. This had been conveyed by natives up the river through frost and suow to Irkutsk, the residence of the Governor of Eastern Siberia, aud thence trans mitted by telegraph, Dec. Slat, by way of St. Petersburg to London, New York, &c. Of course tho deepest interest is awakened by the whole civilized world iti the fate of the unfortunate explorers. The Emperor of Rus sia, ou being advised of the situation, at once telegraphed to tho Governor of Eastern Si beria to draw for whatever amount was neces sary to afford prompt and effective relief. Sec retary Frchnghuysen, from Washington, also telegraphed to IIoH'iumu, tUv Auiorican cliarge at St. Petersburg, to mako immediate provis ion for the relief and return of the officers and men of the Jeanette, and to draw by telegraph for whatever amount he might need. No doubt is felt but that, when tho next dispatch es from Iho mouth of the Leua get through, in telligence will arrive of tho safety of the other boat and its men. All sulely gathered at the mouth of the Leua river, however, it will be a long and perilous journey to make in winter even as far south as IrkuU.k, to say nothing of getting back to St. Petersburg or Moscow, and thus within reach of railroads and safe winter travel. I'n- der the most lavorablo auspices, it can hardly bo expecteil that the survivors of tho crew of the Jeanette, whoever they may be, will get back to their homes in America before next July or August. It is a great satisfaction, however, to know that they are comparatively safe at least havo escaped the fate of the un happy Franklin expedition, and it is a fur ther satisfaction to know that the great Arctic problem of tho fato of tho Jeanette is solved, and that tho world need give itself no further worriment over new search expeditions on that account. THE PEKU-CHIil MUDDLE Secretary Rlalnc, on retiring from tho state department at Washington, felt it necessary for his vindication, beforo laying down his port folio, to ask permission to publish his instruc tions to his pet ministers in South America, Generals Hurlbut and Kllpatrick, whose strange and contradictory interpretation ot said instructions threatened to place him in a very awkward position. The publication of tbe pa pers in question, however, seems to havo come far short of compassing tho vindication desired, and it bccaiBO necessary tor Mr. Blaine to ask for the publication of some more papers. It happens, unfortunately, that with the addition of every new paper the affair becomes more clouded and the part Mr. Hlaino is shown to have bomo in it more questionable and dubi ous. The later revelatious in the matter un cover a huge speculation, of which unhappy Peru was to be the victim, and which reminds one very much ot that gigantic robber scheme the (ireat East India Company, in the build ing up ot which Lords C'llve and Hastings bore such memorable and disreputable pnrU Hrietly stated, the case is somewhat as follows: In one of the "additional papers" laid be fore the public at the request of Mr. Hlaine is a missive under date of August 1th from Mr. H. to Minister Hurlbut referring mysteriously to certain claim of American citizens upon Peru, one of which he styles the "Cocket" and the other the "Laudreau" claim. In regard to the former Mr. Hurlbut w as to take no step to commit his government in its favor, but in re gard to the latter he w h In mx his god offic es in its behalf. Now what were these "claim ?" It appears, about ball a century ago. the government of Peru, Imagining that the country wai under laid with vast undeveloped gold and pilfer OTTAWA FREE TRADER; mines, all of which the stato claimed to own, offered a large royalty, said to bo one-third of the amount, to any person who should make a new discovery of state treasure. That certain islands adjacent to the Peruvian coast and be longing to the republic were overlaid with vast guano deposits was of courso well known; but about this time one Alexander t'ochet, a Frenchman living in Peru, claims tohavedis covered the importance ot this guano as a fer tilizer, and as it soon obtained a high commer cial value, he claimed the bouuty of one-third of the product of the guano beds. The discov ery of Mr. Laudreau, an American citizen, seems to have been of the same character, and though the full history of his claim is not re. vealed in tho papers thus lar, it is likely itcov. ers the same ground that is Covered by the Cochct claim. Peru never admitted the claim of either, and went on selling the guano, it is now insisted to the amount of $2,700,000,000. Cochtt died, leaving the claim to his son. Now appears on the scene one J. R. Ship- herd, erstwhile a lawyer of none too high re pute in Chicago, but later of New York. He slates that "in the ordinary course of business" these claims were brought to his notice, and hue another Mulberry Sellers he saw that "there's millions in it!" In connection with others he proceeded to organize a huge joint stock company, in imitation of tho "Honorable Governor and Directory of the Royal East In dia Company." Steps were taken by the com pany for the purchase (for a mere song) of the Cochet and Laudreau claims, now amounting to $!MX),000,000 for royalties actually due, and for $100,000,000 more as ono-taird ot the esti mated value or $300,000,000 worth of guano still left on th islands. The company propos ed to have these claims recognized by Peru, aud then, after the fashion of Lord Cllve, to take possession of the country and run its gov ernment, the company issuing its orders from Wall street, exactly as the great English Com pany governs East India through a royal di rectory in I!ond Street. Hut first in order was to get the claim re cognized. To this end it was necessary that Peru should have a de fnrto government. Ac cordingly the pretender Calderon was selected, and the aid of the I'm ted States, through its facile Minister Hurlbut, invoked to have his government recognized, and as Chili was alike anxious to have a government in Peru to treat with, her military power was lent to set Calderon and his congress on their pins. Now everything promised to movo smoothly. Calderon was duly recognized not only by Minister Hurlbut, but his recognition was approved by Mr. Hlaiue at Washington. Then the "company" proceeded to business. Cal deron was initiated Hi tho scheme, in which he was to bear uu important and profitable part, and was on the point of signing all the necessary papers in recognition of the compa ny's claim, so huge and monstrous that Blaine says that "through it we should own Peru by a mortgage which can never bo paid." The mortgage not only included all there was of the guano deposits, gold and silver mines and the territory generally of tho country, but more importaut and especially tho vast and valuable nitrate deposits of Peru, over which the disastrous war with Chili occurred. At the very 'nick of time," however, when this hugu bargain wiw about to be consum mated, Seuor Petruchio Lynch, tho Chilian naval commander, got an inkling ot what was going on, and "nipped it in the bud" by the unceremonious arrest of Calderon, and send ing him to Chili, and dispersing his extempo rized congress. This is the disgraceful history as thus far revealed. )f course the company had no idea of encountering tho opposition of Chili to the consummation of their grand scheme, for had they not agreed in their articles of association to provide for paying that government an ample Indemnity tor their expenses in the war with Peru? and to quiet the English owners of some f 250,000,000 worth of Peruvian bonds, hod they not also agreed to assume that debt? Oh it was a magnificent scheme! Like Lord Clivc, tho puissant Shepherd not only projios- ed that he and his company should possess themselves of Peru, but after the fashion of the East India Company tho plan no doubt con templated Iho ultimate c nqucst and annexa tion of all South America! There is of course no evidence that Secretary Hlaino w as hand and glove with the projectors in this mousirous conspiracy, for d d he not admonish Hurlbut to be extra cautious in the matter of these claims, and to do nothing that did not recognize the undoubted right of Chili to exact territorial indemnity from Peru? Hut that Hurlbut was a mere tool in tho hands of Shipherd is evident from the fact that he so far perverted Blame's instructions that he laid it down as tbo "demand" of tho United States tbat'organized resistance having ceased the war must cease," and that "there must be no territorial Indemnity or annexation." Yet if Blaine was entirely innocent of all complicity in or knowledge ot the Shipherd scheme, why was he so solicitous that Hurlbut should fa vor the recognition ot the "Laudreau" claim ? Havk We a Shakkspkaue Amono Is? Mr. William Young, the author ot "Pendra- gon," the tragedy whtch had nuch a run lately at McVickcr's thcatro in Chicago, is a born Sucker, a son of Dr. J. A. Brown, who for thir ty years has been a leading physician in Mon mouth, Illinois. W illiam graduated at Mon mouth College in the class of '(53, and after at tending medical lectures in Chicago turned bis attention to literary pursuits, writing poems tor tbe Atlantic, Galaxy, Lippincott's and Scrlbner's Magazines. He early conceit ed, however, a strong peru-hanl for the drama, and to fit himself for play writing he sought much necessary experience by connecting him self for several years with permanent and trav eling dramatic companies. Not yet satisfied, however, he went to Europe, and after several years of hard study graduated I mm the Con servatory of Oratory and Drauialic Art In Paris. Thus fortitied, he returned to thiscouu try, and alter several years ot bard work prr duced, as the first ripened fruits of his studies, tbe play known as "PendrMgon." It it written In unootn blauk verse, and iU literary merits arc anid to be such as would In sure Its sucreiM if published for reading alone. It la founded upon the legend of King Ar SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24,1881. thur, of which Tennyson made so much and such profitable use. With tho names of most of the characters Tennyson has made us famil iar, but they are so materialized and vivified that in comparison Tennyson's characters are but the shadows of the real heroes. The best critics seem to unite in pronouncing it not on ly the best, but the only tragedy worthy of the name this country has yet produced, and if the author keeps on writing, and can sustain himself at this rate, he will fairly earn the title ol the- "American Shakespeare." BOND REFUNDING. Three years ago the democratic majority m congress, under the leadership of Fernando Wood, insisted upon passing a bill to refund the national debt, as rapidly as the 5 ond 0 per cents fell due, at 3 per cent. The banks opposed the measure, and as JoRu Sherman, m his capacity of Secretary of the treasury was but the agent of the banks, who from an impecunious Ohio attorney had made him a millionaire, he opposed the measure "tooth and toe-nail," and insisted that 4 and 4la per cent, was tho lowest rate at which he would un dertake to refund the bonds, and congress pass ed a bill allowing him to refund a portion of them at that rate. All the bonds authorized to be issued at that rate were at once gobbled by a syndicate, who sold them at a premium of from 8 to 12 per cent, and cleared half a million by the operation, of which a large percentage went into John Sherman's pocket. Then congress again passed a 3 per cent, bill, the success of the 4 per cents having demon strated that 3 per cents would sell at par. The banks, however, had bought up Old Hayes, and he vetoed the bill, and the last congress adjourned without any funding measure hav ing been adopted. Meantime five or six hun dred millions of tho 5 and C per cent, bonds had fallen due, and Secretary Windom, with out any authority of law, proceeded to refund them at per cent., subject to the approval congress. And now comes this same John Sherman, through whose procurement every previous attempt to refund the national debt at 3 per cent, had been defeated, and himself seeks to steal "democratic thunder" by pro posing in tho senate a bill to refund the bonds at 3 per cent. Knowing John Sherman and his ways, however, as the country does, it would be a violent assumption to suppose that the "scales have fallen from his eyes" in this matter, and that in his action he is not influ enced by "a nigger in the woodpile." The said nigger is found in a very innocent-looking clause in his bill, but which, in the light of his agency lor Wall street and the bankers, is its very gist and substance. It is that clause which authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury at any time after a few years, to pay any or all of the contemplated bonds at bis option. Such a power, with the Secretary under the control of Wall street and the banks, as Secretary Sherman always was and Secre tary Folger now is, would place the entire business of tho country under the control and at the mercy of Wall street. To illustrate, suppose the Wall street bulls desire a plethora of money and to send the stocks up kiting; all they need do is to order the Secretary of tne treasury to announce that he will pay ten or twenty millions of option bonds weekly in New York. Then having disposed of their stocks at a big figure, let the Wall street bulls turn bears and desire a stringency in the mo ney market to enablo them to buy their stocks back at a low figure. The obedient head of the band of robbers at Washington gives a turn to the screw and announces that the next weekly or monthly payments of twenty mil lions of option bonds will bo omitted. Money will at once become scarce in tho great marts of trade, interest will run up like mercury in the tubes of a thermometer, stocks will fall, and the entire mercantile community will be embarrassed if not swamped. There can bo no honest Issue of bonds with- 0 it specifying the day of their maturity and paying them ou that day. Then the busint ss community being fully forewarned can De fore armed and no syndicate of robbers under the name of national banks or Wall street stock ibbers can fleece the community by springing upon them these National Treasury traps. FK0M WASHINGTON- The House has thus far done nothing but receive about 2500 new bills, the presentation of which, under tho "call of the states," occu pied two days of last week, and Monday of this. At the end of the call on Monday the speaker asked for another day to complete the committees, and an adjournment was taken to Wednesday. On the latter day the committees were announced, and, as usual, created the utmost dissatisfaction. W. I). Kelly is placed at the head of the ways and means committee, H iscock of appropriations, Crapo of banking and currency, Page of commerce, heed ot the judiciary, &c. Illinois, however, has no rea son to complain. She gets four chairman ships Davis of Military, Marsh of Pensions, Far well of PostOllice Department and Thomas of Mississippi Levees. Our member Cullen Is on the Agricultural and Invalid Pensions. After the announcement of the committees on Wednesday the bouse adjourned until after ibe holidays. Tho chief business of the senate thus far has been to act upon executive appointments. Of these it has confirmed the appointment of Howe as postmaster general, Brewster as at torney general, J. C. Bancroft Davis as assist ant secretary of state, Horace Gray as associ- iate justice of the Supreme Court, and a large batch of country postmasters, including Pfran gle at Aurora, Corbus at La Salle, W. E. How- man at Ottawa, Ac. Hut two bills havo thus far been passed, both by unanimous consent in both houses, one giving Mrs. Garfield the Jranking privilege and the other making Mon- day the legal holiday lor Christmas when it falls on Sunday. The Chicago collettorship prizo has been borne away by Jesse Spaulding, who was ap pointed solely on Senator Logan's recom mcndation. Both houses have agreed to meet on a day hereafter to bo fixed by the joint committee on the Garfield memorial service, and listen to an address by James G. Blaine on the life and character of James A. Garfield. One of the last as well as best acts ol Secro- tary Hlaino before his retirement wa9 to ask the Russian Government to invite home its Minister at Washington, Mr. Michael Bar tholomei, who has not ouly outraged Wash ington society by attempting to force into its circles disreputable women, but who in all business matters has shown himself a worse dead beat than Guiteau, running lavishly into debt with everybody and paying nobody. AN IMPORTANT CONVENTION. Yesterday's Chicago papers bring the pro ceedings ot a more than ordinarily important convention In that city on Thursday of Illinois manufacturers and shippers k protest against and secure a change of the present tarilf of railroad rales established by the Hoard of Rail way and Warehouse Commissioners of this state. The members of that board, beiug se lected from purely political considerations and therefore conspicuously ignorant of the nature of their duties, have naturally proceeded toes, tahlish such a system of "uniform rates" with out "unjust discriminations" as to "discrimi nate" with singular "injustice" "uniformly" against the manufacturers of this state, to such an extent, indeed, as to leave them helpless against outside competion, and as must soon close up half our leading manufacturing es. rablishments. For instance, the glass manu facturers of Rock Island can get their sand and other material cheaper from Kentucky than from a point fllty miles away in Illinois, and the Pittsburg glass manufacturers can ship their goods to Chicago at 50 per cent, less freight than it costs the Ottawa manufacturers to lay down their glass in the same city. The convention, after a day's deliberation, resolved itself into a permanent association, of which the Hon. J. D. Caton was elected presi dent, and the objects of which are declared to be "to use its influence to obtain such modifi cation ot the railroad laws of this state as shall tostcr the manufacturing, agricultural, and commercial interests of the state, and not con fer upon interests outside of tho state undue advantages over our own, and such as shall be equitable to both shippers and carriers." Fokkion. There is no disguising or blink ing the fact, the repressive measures of Eng. land to subdue Ireland are shown more and more each day to be failures. The organiza tions against paying rent, instead of weaKen ing, are continually becoming more formid able. It is regarded as much of a crime to go into tho land court as to pay rent. Lists of persons who have been served with notices not to pay, and those suspected of paying, arc posted at tlie chapels and other places where they are likely to be seen, and, although the police tear them down, they are soon posted again. So arrests continue, outrages continue, feverish discontent is on the constant increase. Never did subsequent events so completely demonstrate tho commission ot a conspicuous blunder than that involved in the arrest ot Par nell. The capture ot a quantity of arms, amuni tion and dynamite at Dublin on the 17th, how ever, appears to have been but the unearthing of some undiscovered operations of the Fen ians, dating back several years. Paruellwason Thursday taken out of the jail at Kilmainham and transferred to Armagh. Thirty-lour persons were killed and thirty six injured by an explosion in the coal mine at Ballon on Monday. Edward King, Paris correspondent of the Boston Journal, smells "villainous saltpeter" in the air, and telegraphs on Monday from Loudon : There is intenso excitement iu Europe re garding the activity manifested by France in increasing its armament France has just or dered nine hundred new cannon ot Hotcbkiss, the American armorer, for tho French navy and other purposes. The French government have requested Mr. Hotchkiss to double the capacity ot nis works at St. Denis. The Ger mans are making several hundred new cannon at Madgeburg. I he French are building sev eral new irou-clads. Heavy special appropri ations for ordnance have just passed French chamlers. the We remember well, a good many years ago while picking type in the stereotyping estab lishment of L. Johnson in Philadelphia, daily passing, about a block from Independence Hall, on George street, a lawyer's office occu pied by the homeliest man we thought we had ever seen. He was tall, slender, finely shaped, but by a scalding accident in his youth his face had been so frightfully disfigured as to be positively hideous. That man was Benjamin Harris Brewster, President Arthur's new At torney General, the sharpest among the pro verbially sharp Philadelphia lawyers. Time is said to have greatly modified and mollified the disfigurement of his countenance, and he is now described as a large, portly man of striking appearance. In dress ho is peculiar "His coats," says tbe Philadelphia Times, "are almost invariably light-colored, his vesta are of velvet, and, being cut low, expose a shirt front of the finest cambric ruffles. His panta loons, be they neutral-tinted checks or sombre blacks, are models of the tailor's art, and his eafter tops are invariably the whitest of white Ho wears standing collars, a black stock, rut- fled cuffs, and an old-fashioned fob chain, with a heavy gold seal. His white fur beaver hats, made on a modification of the old bell style, are worn alike winter and summer. His hats, clothes and shoes are made in London." To compensate, however, for his own lack of comeliness of features, Mr. Brewster has mar nixt nn pxointionallv handsome wife, the daughter of President Polk's great finance sec rotary, the Hon. Robert J. alker, a lady who tor several seasons had figured in ash ington society as a leading belle. Sheiukf's Fees. Mr. Jesse Ruger, in a communication elsewhere in this paper, con tributes some strictures on the fees allowed our SUerifl, concluding that they are largely in excess of what the statutes on the subject contemplate. A bile we havo no disposition t sail Sheriff Clark and have no reason to believe that in his mode of fieunngup his fees he differs widely from the practice of other Sheriffs, the subject is certainly one of legiti mate criticism, upon which Mr. Ruger, or any other tax payer, has a right to be heard. President Arthur finally brought himself up to the point on Monday of making a nomina tion for Judge of the Supreme Court in place of Judgo Cliflord, deceased, nis choice falling on Judge Horace Gray, late Justice of the Su- premo Court of Massachusetts. Ho is tho same whom President Garfield had decided upon a few days before his assassination to ap p tint to that position. He is about 55 years ot age and is said to havo very superior quali fications for the bench, having made Its duties a lifelong study, never having sought prac tice as a lawyer, his great inherited wealth and aristocratic ideas placing him above such "menial" service. I It? is a bachelor and a generous liver, and described as a man of splendid physique anil commanding presence, being six feet six inches in height ami propor tioned accordingly. Politically, before he ascended the state supreme bench, lusassocia lion had been with Charles Sumner, Charles Francis Adams, Henry Wilson, Sec. The Guiteau trial was resumed on Wednes day, but tbo colored juror Worniley came so near giving way that the session was shortened. Dr. Hamilton of New York concluded his tes timony, holding throughout the assassin tobe sane; and Dr. Worcester, of Salem, Mass., tes tified to tho same effect. Guiteau was obstrep erous ns usual, Mr. Scoville, his faithful and patient counsel, coming in for most of his abuse. On Thursday Dr. Theodore Dimon, of Au burn, N. Y., was the chief witness, testifying that ho believed the prisoner to be a sane man. After opening twenty letters Guiteau under took to read some ot them to the court, but Judge Cox suppressed him. He afterwards sheuted out that Garfield would now be alive but for the doctors. Smai.mdx. Dr. Albert. S. Payne, late pro. fessor of the theory and practico of medicine in the Southern Medical College at Atlanta, states as the result of thirty years' study and practice in smallpox cases, that where vaccina tion is resorted to within ten oi twelve hours after the first appearance ot the smallpox fever, the patient will havo but a slight indisposi tion, and will recover without the sign of erup tion, yet with as positive an exemption from a recurrence of the disease as if he had it in the most malignant form. The point is to de. tect by the pulse the firet appearance of the small pox fever, which he says is peculiar to that disease and as easy of recognition by the educated finger as the hemorrhagic pulse is to the physician who has once learned to detect the peculiar thrill which that imparts to his practiced ringer. The numerous friends in this city of Dr. John Stout, now of Peoria, but an Ottawa boy and son of Dr. Joseph Stout, one of Ottawa's most honored physicians, were Immensely pleased a week ago to learn that he had been elected by tho Board of Supervisors of Peoria county to the honorable and responsible posi tion of County Physician, at a salary of $1,500. The appointment will interfere very little with his other quite extensive practice, and is one that the best physicians in Peoria contest ed for. Hut ho was elected on the first ballot. against five opponents. The Democrat hints that Dr. Stout owed his success to tho fact of his being a nephew of Speaker Keifer, whom he is thought to be able to influence in favor of getting an appropriation for a government building at Peoria, an object that city has had greatly at heart and been laboring for daring four or five years past. The statutes of Illinois make six legal holi days in each year, to wit : New i ear, Wash ington's Birthday, Decoration Day, 4th of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas, and when any of these fall on Sunday "the Monday fol lowing shall be held and considered as such holiday." As Christmas, however, is a pure ly religious festival, and every Sunday is a feast day of the church, there is nothing incon sistent, from a religious standpoint, in cele brating Christmas on Sunday, and no doubt such churches as are in the habit of observing the festival at ail, will do it on that day. Yet there is nothing strange in the resolve of Puri tanic Galesburg to keep Christmas on Mon day, nor would it be out of keeping for the puritan churches generally to follow the ex ample, where they don't ignore Christmas en tirely, as their forefathers did. John Sherman, in his simulated eagerness at tbe extra session of the senate to have an investigation of his management of the treasu ry department, is fast getting himself into the fix of the unhappy Califmiia miner who fotched the grizzley." The investigation, though as yet but barely begun, is making such nnpleasant revelations that Sherman insists it shall be conducted with closed doors. For instance, in the testimony last Saturday Pitney stated that $800 worth of stationery was taken from the department to furnish the Sherman committee-rooms in the last cam paign, and that the lunch givan at that time was paid from the treasury funds on vouchers for candles. Among tbe ladies newly brought conspicu ously into notice in Washington society is tho wife ot Speaker Keifer, in whom, as she is not unknown In Ottawa and has two brothers re siding here, our people naturally take some in terest. Tho Washington correspondent ol tbo Philadelphia Fret says of her: "She is a tall, well-proportioned lady, graceful and sensible rather than strikingly handsome. She was Miss Eliza Stout of Springfield, Ohio, and was brought up almost side by side with her hus band. She has not, however, been much la Washington during her husband's four years here." A Springfield special of last Saturday to one ot the Chicago papers states that Mrs. Lincoln has completely lost the use oi her eyes. She has for a long time been accustomed to sit in a dark room, which may have weakened her eyes, although they have only failed her quite lately. As to her general health she is stated to be very weak. Per tontra, a dispatch from New York, where Mrs. Lincoln is now residing, says the above dispatch has given her great annoyance, as her eyes have not failed her, though she ad mils that she had written to a relative in Springfield that on account of sitting so much in a dark room, her eyes were weakened.