THE POLITICAL HO] TUo Coming fltorm-Flasbevo den. Grant Dissected by a Bndlcal San* grade—Scathing Review oftbe present Administration by a Lively Bepnbll can. I Under the above startling heading that staunch Republican newspaper, the New York Sun, republishes the following re markable letter from Washington to a lead ing Radloal paper In tbo Woit the Cincin nati Commercial: \ A morning gust sweepß do.wn upon us dally from Long Branch-. It is. disgust Forney contlnuotr to edit (grant’s cigar stumps and the hours of Mrs. Grant’s baths. These things are ambrosial to (sycophants; they are nauseous to sound Stomachs. I burn my oigar stumps no shorter than Grant’s. Your wife keeps herself as clean with ablutions as the Mistress President. Why so much fanfaronade? If [details must be told, the news comes of the latter lady that she is hanging to Grant’S Srm at Long Branch with every step bo takes, like a broken sprig of dogwood. How else would she be known as tbo Indy of the President? Certainly. The President, what of him? Grant, turning his Administration intoboll dny, sends for his Bind. The yolvet sands of Long Branch have not felt ihelr magnetic, spankling tread. Grant without a horse, losbb his electricity. The horses without Grant, lose their airing. The black favorites must be sent to him, .perhaps, us Dana ac cuses the Tallapoosa, at the Government expense. We will wait a lltilo. But, giving the best guess from the present standpoint, the President has failed us. He is a disap pointment, He has not done one luminous act sinco coming into power on the 4lh of March, not one that tbo people have risen up and applauded him for. Ho is opaquo to-day as in tho interregnum forming his Cabinet, and iho thing cleareßt in this ca pacity is that the light is not In him, no more than in the tumble-down Cabinet af fair. The peoplo have pinned faith to his inyatoriousness long enough, and it is all that they bavo yet, or perhaps will have till the end, to assure them of tbo future. There is a kind of pretentious inconse ■ quenoe about tho Administration that is ridiculous, a running to and fro of blue bruechud, shoulder-strap lackeys, a buzz of Imss drums In the back ground, as if there wore being spread tho not of some compli •euto, far sighted, tremendous policy, a shimmer and show of pondorousness that exists only In tho expectations of tho peo plo. Tho doubt, oneu in a while, grows thick whether Grunt is not more at homo in a gig behind his Havana than in tho Whilo House, fronting the peoplo. Looking him steudily in the luce, it occurs to you that Lite Republican party, powerful as it was, might have luken from his box tho first intelligent hucknmn on tho street, and dono us well. Grant's face has no clearness or Illumination in it, more than had his mill tary policy for breaking down tbo rebi 11 ion.. The Atlantic Monthly lately contained an urliclo upon bis ''lntellectual character.” It Is in doubt whether it exists. Not a mar, woman, or half-grown child in the country but has constantly put tho riddlo those two years: "How is it that Grant, with this face like a stogy bool, is a grout man?” Tho real query is as to tho fact. Tho whole mutter will "probably turu out simply enough, tbut, like other men, ho is what he appears to bo. Tho Brutuaos who seom fools and turn up wiso men are few. Grant swung to the head of military affairs when ijio momentum of tho nation was roady to break down treason. Ho swung to tho front of civil uHuim when tho party that gave supremacy to ideas had become tho nation llsolf, and lie as a bubble borne on its Hurfuce. In either case tbo peoplo huvo been of real Importance, anil the man of llotitlouH importance. We wunted a hero and a President, and pronounced the word -- G rant. (IKANT'm I’KIMY ('All t n kt Grant came, believing in himself, and Imposed upon uh. His oruculur silence at ,'.ho beginning made us expect n Cabinet of giants. 'When the roll of theso awaited Goiossuses was llnu'ly called in tho Senate, the hall of them were too feeble to answer to their names. Then somoni'them canto and drifted away again. The Cabinet weut to pleccH, and formed again like a decimal ed battalion. The iiifiustcrs hang to It un steadily still ; ami "Wljo are to boGrunl’s SocretarieH V” Is an open question yet, just uh Ifyou asked what grains of Healing sum! would go Into a petrifaction. You huvo heard how Robeson was ap pointed Borin's successor—a jolly fellow In troduced diplomatically to Grant, in u good mood, on shipboard, and deftly curving bis >vuy into- tho Cabinet with his knife us ho dined ill Iho same table. Tho peoplo need ed introduction, too, to iho now man. But that was a little matter. The tnonkoy races sometime select their londors by tho length of their tails. Louis XVJIF, made Monsieur D'Avuruy a duko for helping Ikhn into his carriage. NItANT'.S *' I.dVK OF ylltKT AND HKTIHK- Thcu Grant imposes upon ns with other pretensions. He has published to un ex travagant eccentricity his l.>\ool quiet and retirement. No public man of his station, sinco tho beginning of the Government, bus so constant ly Uwowu himself in tho way of flu* pco'p'pr A triumphal procession through tho country every six months Blnce tho war lias been the least of it. As President lie is pushing his social prerogatives to the full est bent. There have passed fourteen weeks since tho adjournment of Congress. Grunt has passed ball' of them here, the rest in social unbending elsewhere. They say he takes gaily to the dance at Long Branch, sliding through the ligures more glibly than than at Annapolis and West Point. This is very well, but the country is asking ol him aud bis Cabinet a few serious ques tions that it would be well to have answered from Washington, reception balls at the iseashoro notwithstanding. What about Cuba, South America, Virgiula, tbo South, the Alabama matters, ami political assas sinations? the srniNX rni.irY don’t fiu. the him.. It is credible that tho cabinet aud the head of the nation, properly digestingtheso things, would not find much time to be ab sent from the capital. Anyhow, tho nation is anxious to see looming above tho rosy horizon of balls, routs, excursions, ban quets, receptions, and seaside frivolities, the executive bead of a powerful Republican Administration. We are hardly contented with this sphinx-litto policy. It may ho Delphic, as Sheila burger said, but is less than Republi can Tho Prosidont would do well to ac cept humility from tho Cabinet fiasco and consult the people henceforth. A member oftbe Grant family is reported to have re marked just after the nomination : ‘‘J t was the General's desire not to bo made Presi* dent by a party, but by tho people.” Per haps hero is a little light. Perhaps Grant believes that the "era of good feeling” may return again under his administration; thut ho is a Colossus, under whoso legs nil the people can wsdk. So far the I'i;ttine tfiat ho might rido on the gate post all day." If ho will stop iiuying bagatelles In New York, and parading ins Presidency along tlm porches of the Stetson, and keep to Executive bust ness hero, ho will look more* like a succes sor of Washington—bis ambition, wo are told. •run DENTS foil KVEII. Early afior tin* inauguration, when olllceu and honors were heaped, like AUllu’sbuek lers upon lho royal bouso of Dent, you might have heard hero umong certain sa gacious Western men pertinently suggested tho establishment of arms “to go into the brother-in-law business.” Tho suggestion hud dropped from my mind until, urlsing from my sick bed, I hear the bn/.zlng oi a fresh swartn of Dents—come out like lo iHists—applying for satrapies in the South .wasf. One believes almost that there is some • whore a brokerage of this magic namoupou whoso l.'wrors honors und cilices are ex • peeled - to-drop like stars. A storekeeper of jtho capital of Ancient Persia went one day \£o Ibrahim, tho Governor of his province, to request tlio abatotnent of tho taxes ho was unable to pay to llusho Ibrahim, a chief magistrate ol tho city, and the Governor’s brother. »• You must pay or leave the oily,” repli ed tho Governor, " Whore Hbull Igo? ’’ asked the shopkeeper. “To Shiraz,” was tho reply. “ Your nephew rules that city, and your family are my enemies,” said the Bhopkeoper* " Then go to Casliin.” “But your uncle Is Governor there.” “ Then •complain to SbuLi.” “ lie is your elder brother, and Prime Minister.” “Then go to tho lower regions !” exclaimed the Gov ernor In a passion. “Alas! your pious father is doi» named Conyngham, living near Floyd, lowa, Iwere instantly killed by lightning while in bed sleeping. Their corpses were perfectly black from the effeots of the stroke. The man’s mother was rendered insane by th'e Bame.Bhook, THE LINU&STER WEEiKIiiT H, 1569. Terrible Conflagration in Fbltadelpbla. Great Destruction or Property ana Loss of Life. One of themost destructive fires that eve? visited Philadelphia occurred last week. It began.with tbp'Tailingof a portion of the bonded warehouses at Front and Lombard streets, owned by Colonel Wm. C, Patter son. The building was stored with whisky, which ran Into tho furnaces of the boilers, and caught fire, producing an explosion. The entire blook of warehouses, eight In number, were destroyed. Hundreds of the barrels of whisky were crushed in tbe fail, and their contents igniting ran down the steep declivity on Lombard street to the sewers, making 6 scene truly grand. The intense beat soon set fire to the sailor board ing house of Thomas Boyle, situated on the squthwest corner of Penn and Lombard streets, but this was saved from total de struction by the heroic firemen, numbers of whom by this time bad arrived on the ground. For one hour and a half did this debris'eoutinue to barn with bat little abatement. This was caused by tho explo sion of the whisky barrols in tho midst of the pile. At a quarter after nine o’clock a portion of the wall which hud divided the two southern stores fell with a frightful crash, and barrel upon barrel of whisky which had been piled up in the Bocond structure came rolling out on tbe pile of ruins, and several of them in their passage exploded, bupdoing no damage. From thisjeompart ment tbo fire extended to the upper part of its neighbor, and so along until the whole eight wero in flames. As each of the compartments caught, there would be explosion after explosion of barrels, and tbe burning liquid would pour into tbe lower floors and from them into the street; and down the gutters to Pino street and iuto the sewers. So rapid did it flow at one time that the sewer got so full of gas that an explosion took place, causing a stampede among the thousands of specta tors congregated in its immediate vicinity. By elevou o’clock the fire seemed to have done its worst—the division walls and a largo portion of the Front and Penn streets walls were lying In tbe streets. Shortly after midnight the battlement wall separating dwelling No. 409 and the northern compartment of the warehouse fell into tho rums, and instautly the roof of No. 409 was in a blaze. From this it com municated to No. 407, which was unoccu pied, and to Nos. 405, 403 and 401. Tho heat was so intense and tho air so full of flying embers from tbe falling walls, that tbe properties on the east side of Front l street were on lire seveial tiinos, but the I firemen managed to save them. A heavy | westerly wind sprung up and blew tho 1 flames to tbe eastward. Wall after wall fell, and tho burning embers filled tho air i for squares around. Un the surrounding houses could bo seen dozens of men throw ing pails of water over tbo beuted roofs. The J'ust which kept its columns open ! until two thus describes the situation ut i that hour: -Tlio heavy ruin und hall-storm has been of valuable aid to the Amman, who bavo fought the devouring element fool by foot. But lor them, assisted by tho Police in maintaining n clear fire ground, tho block between Penn street and the Delaware must have gone. Hundreds of peoplo still cluster around tho neighborhood all seem ing determined to see the Are out. The Josh is estimated nt nearly $0,000,000. Tho warehouse alone, It is said contained $5,000,000 of liquor, nearly alt of which was consumed, The saddest part of tho afluir is that there is a well grounded supposition that tho en gineer, liromun and watchman are all bu rled benoutb iho ruins, but wo hopo such is not the cuso. It is very probable that even a larger number of porsons arc injurod than those reportod in tho confusion. Many of tho men who wero employed in and about the warehouses, nnd those who work on tbo wharves, live in the immediate neighbor hood of the conflagration, and wore In the habit of congregating about tho buildings. 11 was tho custom of these men to nil on thu pavement against the walls of the ware house, und it 1h possible that some of these have suffered suvoro injuries, perhaps deuth. Jacob Andrews, residing on Potm street, below Lombard, waa struck on tbo head by a brick nnd soverely Injured. Taken to tho Pennsylvania Hospital. Daniel liugorty, u polleo officer, residing at Penn nnd South streets, hud his luce and head badly burned. Taken homo. Michael McNulty, a drayman, whilo dri ving along Front street, was struck on tho bond with n brick. Taken to tho Hospital. William Gilles, residing nt No. 512 Penn street, had both arms broken. Thomas Proctor, colored, aged twenty two, residing at Tenth and Rodman streets budly scalded, Ts at tho Hospital. Albort Brest, of tho Hope Engino, fell off tbo ladder and had bis bead severely injur ed. James McCreed, aged eight years, resid ing at 1712 Plover street, run over by a steamer. lauuc Underdown, oil clothing manufac turer, was cut in tho face by a flying brick and badly Injured. Thomas Maguire, thu shipping master, was thrown down by tho forco of tho explo sion, injuring him badly. Tbo heaviest losers by tho conflagration aro Colonel Wm. C. Patterson, H. S. Han uis it Son, John Gibson, Son it Co., Alex ander Young, H. W. Catherwood, A. C. Crajge'A Co., Wnldon, Keen it Co., Long stroth it Bolden, Beatty it Hay and Georgo Whitely, nil of whom have more or less amount of whisky in bond in the buildings. 11. S. Harris, of Nos. 2IS and 229 Bouih Froul street, tho heaviest losers, had H,UUU bbls. of whiskey in the place. Its value was over $1,000,000, fully insured. Henry Wallace A Co., of No. 229 South Front street, had over 1,900 bbls. in tbe place. Jis value was over SIOO,OUO, fully insured. for a Burglar. 40,000 Barrels ol Wbiifccy Destroyed. Barney Corr, at Beach stud Brown streets, lmd 900 bbls. in the place; insured lor $97,- 900, fully covering his loss. Geo. Richie had 890 barrels in tho nlaco partially insured R. C. Ridgway of No. 218 South Front sc., haa 5000 bles in the placo fully insured. Joseph F. Tobias