ONE DOLLAR PER ANNUM, INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE. TOWA N P A : SatnrDan fßomiuc, December 18, 1854. JMtctfi) Ijoetrj. THE DANCE OF THE AUTUMNAL LEAVES. Borne by the restless winds along, Where the sorrowful woodland grieves, Hither and thither a fitful throng, Merrily dance the autumn leaves. Upward they mount to the murky sky. Downward they.plunge to the earth below; Now in a giddy whirl thev flv, Now in a madcap chase they go. Tinkling gaily, their feet advance Over the graves in thoughtless glee; And the music to which they dance, Hark! 'tis a dirge's melody. Onward merrily still they go Through the wood and over the wave, 'Till they find in the wintry snow, Chilly and dark, their lonely grave. Borne by the tempter's power along, While kind heaven in pity grieves, Giddily pass the human throng Thoughtlessly as the autumn leaves. Upward they mount in fancies high, Downward they plunge in pleasures low ; Now in the passion's whirl they fly, Now in Ambition's chase they go. Merrily still their feet advance Over the graves in ihoughtless glee; And the music to which they dance, Hark ! 'tis a dirge of melody. Onward! giddily on they go, Over the earth and over the wave, Till they find in the depth below, Chilly and dark, their lonely grave. PUBLIC GDCMITCNLS. Postmaster General's Report. There are 23,548 post offices in the United States —the annual compensations of 257 ol which amount to 81,000 and upward*. During the las', vear, 1.842 offices were established, and 614 dis continued. Number of Postmasters appointed dur ing the same time, 8.618 R-movaie. 1,967 Num ber oi mail rou'es, 6,697. Number of mail con tractor*, 5.167. Tolal annual transportation of mail*, 63 387,005 miles, at a cost ol 84.630 676 ; thus 21,- 366 603 miles by mode* not specified, at 5 cent* per mile; 20.890,530 mites by coach, at C cents per mile ; 15,133 387 miles by railroad, at 12 cts 4 raids per mile; 5,792,483 miles by steamboat, at 8 cen's 4 mills per mile. Increase in the transport ation during the past year 2} per cent. The expendi'ures of the department during the past year were 88.577,424 12, and the revenue $6,955 556 22. To the former must be added <133,483 33, balance due foreign offices, which would leave the to'al deficiency lor the y ear 1854 at 51,755,321 23 The deficiency for the year 1853 was 82,116 078 20— leaving a difference in favor of 1853 of 5361,756. The increase in the revenue of 1854 compared with the revenue of 1853, is $970,399 48—or about 19 percent. The Postmaster-General alludes at considerable langth to the difficulties between the department and railroad companies relative to the rates of compensation for carrying the mails. The com panies, he says, allege that the government should not a*k or expect them to perform for it any ser vice at a less ra!e than that paid by individuals for similar services. This principle, he con'ends, he has always been willing to recognise in the ad justment of prices. What is now required,-he be- is, that the railroad companies should be paid according to tire bulk of the mails, the speed with which they are conveyed, and the accomoda tions required. The sums paid by expresscorn panies are no fair criterion ; for, as they are unin fluenced by competition, they can pay any price demanded of them, and assess it upon their custo mers. England, France, Germany and Canada, pay less lo railroads for mail service than is paid by the United Stales. Complaint is made of the insufficient accomodations, as a general rule, (or route agents. Allusion is made to the habit ol ir responsible parties obtaining, by gross misrepresen tation, mail contracts, and subsequently throwing them up because ol failure on their part to sell the same ai a profit. Owing lo cases not within the control of the de partment, the expenses of the current year will greatly those of the past year. They are estimated at 89,841,921 33. This increase will be owing to the additional compensation ol postmasters and the enhanced prices demanded by the contractors at the last letting?. A uniform plan of registration is warmly recom mended as an additional protection for the safe de hvery ol letters of value. The want of such a safe guard has long been felt; and as the cost of its maintenance will fall directiy upon those who will cherluily bear the expense, we see no good reason w hy it should not be incorporated into our postal Ajstern as one ol its principal leaturcs. During ihat three years commencing July 1, 1851 -5 50t ,022 03 postage-e'.amps a:.d stamped envel opes have been issued by the department, of which ?5,002 301 were sold. For the last year the cost of the service on the YRriojg United States mail steamship lines, and across the Isthmus, was as follows; Collins line, '\venty six round trips $858,000 ; New York and Havre, eleven round trips, $137,500; Astoria and Panama via San Francisco, twenty-four rounJ trips 18,250; New York and New Orleans to Aspin 8289,000 ; Charleston and Havana $50,000 Orleans to Vera Cruz, twenty-lour round trips ?37 ,000 ; Aspinwall to Panama $119,727. Total S- "23,010 29. Die service performed by lire several lines of mail steamships is treated at large The ' w - ,rn atter General is of opinion that the compen '4 'on now received is too large, and that the pres- j THE BRADFORD REPORTER ent system is calculated lo drive off private com peiiiion. He also states that the Nicaragua com pany have offered to carry a weekly mail between New York and California for the sum of $600,000 per annum, which he thinks is the highest rale of pay which ought to be demanded. The cost this year lor a semi-monthly mail, by the Isthmus route | i 55757.977 03. No progress has been made since the last teport in the pending negotiations with Great Britain re lative the admission of France into the arrange ment, as coritempla'ed by (lie provision in the 12 h article of our postal convention. No postal conven tion has as yet been'eflected with France ; bufone is about being made with Mexico. Arrangements have been made with the Austra lia line of monthly packets to convey mails regu larly between New York and Australia. The rates on all outgoing matter have been fixed at five cents a letter, two cents each for newspapers, and one cent an ounce lor pamphlets and magazines.— These rates embrace both the United States inland and sea postage. The fines and deductions during the past year amount to $110,486. The amount lor the previous was 537,920. Secretary of War's Report. We learn from that document that the authorized strength of the army is 14 216 ; the actual strength is only 10,745. The ranks, however, are rapidly filling up under the inducements offered by the law passed the 4tfi ol August last, increasing the pay of the so Idiers. The troops have been kept actively employed in preserving peace among the Indians, but the ar my is too small to enable the Department to pre vent or punish outrages In the West, several causes conspire to render extended hostilities more probable, and when they occur, mote formidable. An increase of military lorce is absolutely necessa ry. In Texas, authority has been given to call out militia; but the necessity is constant, and the Con siitution and laws in giving the President authori ty to call out mi'itia to repel invasion and suppress insurrection, did not design that he should keep on foot a permanent force ol the kind now required An increase ot the tegular army is therelore re commended. The recommendations for an increase in the pay of the officers, for pensions to their wi dows and children, and lor retiring, such as are disqualified for service, are renewed. I In Florida, little has been done in removing the | Seminoles. The trade 'with the whi es has been | cut off", and means are being taken to contract roads in their country, and acquire a thorough knowledge of its topography, with a view to ulteiior opera tions should they no! peaceably remove. The most important part of the report is that which recommends a revision of the laws regulat ing rank and command, and fixing the organiza tion. Much difficulty arises from B evet commis sions, giving many officers double rank ; circum stances determine whether the brevet commn-sions shall take effect, and each officer is to judge for himselt wheiher the circumstances have occurred which puts his higher rank in force. Still greater difficulties arie bom doubts whether the staff" are entitled to command troops. Many contradictory decisions by the higher authority have been made, that nothing short ot legislation can regulate the subject. With regard to brevet rank it is proposed that it shall take effect in no case, except when specially ordered by the President. To propose a law as lo the Staff regulating command, is a matter of much embarrassment. On the one hand it is manifestly improper to exclude from command of. ficers olhigh rank whose duties are of a military character, while it is scarcely less lo give the right of commanding troops to officers whose whole time has been devoted to special duties separate Irom troops. It is proposed, therefore, to break up in a great measure the exclusive Staff corps, and entrust their du ies to officers detailed from the troops. A concise account is given of the recent im provements in fire arms, which are said to have increased their effective range threefold. Experi ments made by order of the Deparimni', have confitmed this statement, and the opinion is ex pressed that smooth bored arms will cease to be used as military weapons. No more mu.-kets should therefore be made; but attention should be turned to the improved pattern. The report on the Pacific Railroad cannot be completed for a month or two yet, and no results are ye! stated; some par ies are yet in the field, an J others will be sent out next spring. At the Capitol, the marble work has been re tarded by deficiency of supply. The brick work has gone so far that the two wings will be under roof this winter. The remainder ol the report is occupied with de tails of minor importance. Report of Solicitor of'llic Treasury. This report shows that the whole number of suits brought during the year under the direction ol the Solicitor ol the Tieasury is 586 ; that of these 46 were on Treasury franscrips; 218 lor ike re covery ol fines, penalties, arid forfeitures under the revenue laws ; 144 ola miscellaneous character — 178 ori custom house or ware house bonds in Cal ifornia, and 3 for the recovery of land purchased by the United States and reserved for light-house purposes. Of there 586 cases, it appears thai 286 have been tried and finally decided ; that 48 have been either discontinued or remitted by the Presi dent and Secretary of the Treasury, and that 251 are pending and undecided. Of these undecided cases, it appears from the tables that the greater portion ol them have been recently brough', and the trial term has not yet been reached. The amount of money which appears to have been collected on suits brought during the year is $118,526 11 ; the amount collected g the rest was a newly country bumpkin and his pretty bride ; and on the same bench—a stranger to bo h —sat a city gentleman who, profiling by the-daik ness, fell to kissing the bride. She whipered to her husband—"John, John! this 'era tellers a kissin' on me!" " 1 ell him to quit,'' said John : for John it seems probable, s ood a little in awe ot the philosophe from the city, and found himself iheretere, in pre plexed circumstances. " >J., 1 can't," whispered the biide;"you tell him." "Make him quit'" sai I John, now ge ting quite excited. ! don't like to,"' whi-peted the bride. ' hesapc fect \-tran rcr to mc \ , A Mic.\m-.asTANDiNG.The boarders wereassem bled, one stormy evening, in the parlor of a fash ionable boarding house, in Ros'on, when a ra'her amqnatedpnaiden lady lisped cu; (he remark that she loved a rainy day, and always availed of one to arrange her dtawers. "So do,"growled an oi l sea captain, " 1 overhaul my drawers and shirts too, sometimes, anil sew on a button or a string where it is wanted.'' Mademoielle did not fain', but there was an ang r y rustle of her silks, as she swept from the room, leaving all to exchange a suppressed titter lor a good heal hy laugh THE JAPANESE " URRER TEN."— The JAPANESE are fond of eggs, they boil them harj, and eat ihern at the desert like fruit, frequently with oranges Sometime* ihey boil them in soup with vegetables. For the people ol disiinc ioii, fowls are kept in rooms, where they lay their eggs, and are fad wi h ttce. The great j eop'e would not eat ihe eggs o! fowls ihat run about at their wi'.l and pick op what they can find. Many keep also swans, geese and tu key s , but merely for pleasure, aswn do peacock*, which they have also The gall of a beas i made by their? in'o a so!id mass, and used as a strengthening medicine, for weakness in the stomach, and oilier disorder*, ft is highly valued by the Japanese for-its medical vir'nes, and pud for at a high pries. NUMBER ONE —According to the newspapers, Mr Hume, on die presentation of his pic ure, said •' that his chief aim in life had been to promote tho greatest good to the greatest number." The reports omit to state ihalL">rd John Kussell here interrupt ed him with the question— " What is the meatest number ?" Ar.d that Mr. flume, with great promptitude re plied— " Su-nber c e, to be sure." — g. i (fchr- The moit mischievous liars ate those .vi.o keep just on the \erge ni truth.