GIBSON PEACOCK. Editor. VOLUME XXII.—NO. 262. AST FAME INSURANCE COMPANY, 406 Chestnut Street, PHILADELPHIA, Jon. 18, 1869. This Company, incorporated in 1866, and doing a Firo Ixururaneo baeincse exclusively, to enable it to accept a largo amount of badness constantly declined for want of adequate capital, will, in accordance with a supplement to its charter, increase Its CAfifAL HOCK FROH $lOO,OOO, ITB PREBESI AHODST, To 8300,000, HI SBABES OF FIFTY DOLLARS EtCH, and fofwhlch Subscription Books ore now open at this office. By order of the Board of Directors. OB&B1.ES BIOIUBDSOR, PRESIDENT. wiujui n. Riuws, TICE PRESIDENT. WIIAMMH I. BiASCHABD, SECRETARY. SOLICITORS ALL LIFE COMPANIES btftoi Innmsce to pUco» will find the New Enel and Mutual an organization tbey can confidently recommend. * —■ £ MbM, 87,000,000, STBOUD & MARS TON, General Axents, Mnotuti 3iWorth FIFTH Street, IA/KDPIHQ GABOS, INVITATIONS FOB FAB W tlea,4(c. Newstylea. MASON A CO., aoStfi 607 Chestnut street. WEDDING INVITATIONS ENGRAVED IN THE Newest sod best maimer, LOUIS DBBKA. Bta* Honar and Engraver. K 33 Cbeetnat street. fob 20, -tf FUKBUBH—VANDERBILT.—On February 9th, at the Church of the Mccriah. by Her. E. G. Brooks, D. D , Mr. Charles A. Fuibmh to Miu MaryC, Vanderbilt, both of tbtecaty. # TROUT—MoELWEE- —Ob the evenlna of the loth lost, by the 2tar« J. A. Konkelman, Mr. Frank 8. Iroot and Mbts Annie BacElweo. * ANDREWS.—Ob the 14th ineiint, John B. Andrews, in ti e Bfrtfa year of his ace. Due notice of the funeral wiD be given. tf| ALTRMUB.—On the morning of the 16th instant George Henry, youegwi eon of Ramos 1 T. Altemos. w HARMAtt—On the evening ol the 16tb Instant Charles Uarzaar, In tbo 42d year of his age. " MOKSLANDRIL- On the evening of tbo 14th Instant 1»\ lUlam Mora Under. In tho 48th year of bis Age. Due notice of the funeral wiU be riven. * b&SJTH.—At Dudley, on the tvening of the 13th instant Helen R, vrtfo of WUlum M. Smith, and oldest daughter of Marmaduke Moore. Duo notice trill be given of the funeral. * TlNtstEV.—On the 13th Instant Clem Tinsley. Presi dent of the Reliance Immense Company, In the 76th year of his age. The funeral services will be held on Tuesday morning, 16th instant In the Clinton Street Presbyterian Chorea, at \%% o'clock. • THuMPdON.—On Monday, February 16th, Carrie, daughter of Harriet JL. and ihe late Newcomb B. Thomp son. aged 19 years. To* relative* and friends of the family are Invited to attend the funeraL on Thursday moraine, ifith intt. at 11 o'clock, from the residence of her mother, olapier etreet Germantown. Carriages leave 50i Arch street at 10 o'clock. Obituary Notice. Tbia column lately bore the name of Fannie IX, wife of W. Bent; Platt, and daughter of Mr. Joseph 0. Murphy. This young' wife and lovely and accomplished lady closed, on the eighth In stant, n gentle life of only twenty-four years. The many friends whom her charms and talents fathered to her 6lde in the days of youth and callb, were obliged to follow their favorite to the darkened chamber and sick bed, where they learned bow greatly human loveliness may be enhanced by endurance and Christian resignation. The lesson was sadly completed when they were called on to follow her to the tomb. Mrs. Platt Ihod bound every heart 'to her by her winning manners and rare acquirements when in health ; but her friends never felt her so near and precious ns when, after a period of patient helplessness In tho distress and lassitude of consumption, she es caped from them to the brighter company and higher mansions of theiimmortal world. TVyf AGNIFICENT BLACK DRESS SILKS. AM. SATIN FACED QROGRAINS. HEAVIEST CORDED BILKS. WIDOWS* BILKS, NEW LOT. BLACK SILKS WHOLESALE. EYRE A LANDELL. Fourth Bud Areb Streets. ■FECIAL NOTICES. e®“ THE ARABS ARE i t COMING! •i j feM j B@“TO RAILROAD CONTRACTORS Proposals will be receired atjMAUCH CHUNK, pa* ' tontU February the 17th* iB6o* for the GRADUATION and 1 2UL&BONRY of the NESQUEHONING VALLEY RAIL 4—ROAD, Innlndlng -the approaches of NESQUEIIONING ; “TUNNEL. Specifications and information as to the work in detail ■; smay be obtained on application at the Engineers Office, i filauch Chunk* J. B. noOBBKID, Pietldcnt. lal4 tfe!7rp \ 4ftgg» REPUBLICAN INVINCIBLRS' EXCURSION f; ’5 W to Washington, March 8,4,5, 1860, to attend the In auguration of the Preaident of the United States. 'j Members and their friends desirous of participating * ith the Club on this occasion, are requested to present wieir names to the Committee immediately. j! TICKETS FOR THE ROUND TRIP, $2O. ■j Further information can be had of h • • EZRA LUKENS, )i Secretary and of "Washington Committee," No. 147 Bouth Fourth Street (Enhance on Harthony); | CONOEKT UALL.—LECTnBB. ' t V FRIDAY Store, No. 926o"eatnutJBtrool 80ataatTrUmp,M '‘ l Mual ° Doors open at 7 o’clock. Lecture at 8 o’clock, fols-il* lagltfrp} DIED. - ' -/*■ . V.' v " " "'" H "'-■ :.'•""-■-‘v SPECIAL, NOTICES. CONCEhT HALL. THIRD AND LABT LECTURE BY DE CORDOVA, On THURSDAY EVENING, Feb.-tB. BI’IUKOT THE BPRATTB AT SARATOGA AdmirpJoD 50 cent*. No cxtracharge for Reserved Seat*. Ticket* may be obtained at Gouid‘o fiano Room*, ma Chestnut wtroet felfi tf{ ■*BT» CELTIC ABHOCIATION OF AMERICA. LECTURE BY JOHN MITCHEL Eflo,, AT CONCERT HALL, WEDNESDAY, Feb. 17, At 8 P.M., For the Benefit of the Celtic Library Fund. Bublect^-* , Wh<o are the Celt* Ticket* fifty cent*. For sale at the book store* 01 M. «rs. Cummkky, 1037 Chestnut street; Turner&Kro.. 808 Chestnut etreet i Grambo, corner Sixth and Chestnut, and Beanlan. 103 Houth Fifth street. Choice seats reserved for ladles 'and gentlemen accom panying them without extra charge, B. BHELTON MACKENZIE, JAB. O’DON’NELL, Secretary. XBP- THE SEMI-ANNUAL" MEETING lIF Tin? ALUMNI ASSOCIATION of tho Central High School will be held on MONDAY EVENING, February 16th, 1869, at tho HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING. , E. ILD. FKAhEV, Chairman Board of Managers. B. Frank Aiujett, Clerk. The 27th Annual Address before the ALUMNI ASSO CIATION, C. H. S„ will be delivered by EDWAIID K WORRELL, fiBQ , on TUESDAY EVENING, February 18,1869, at the HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING. Introduc tory Addrena by WILLIAM MoMICHAEL, Ebq. 1 icltete can do procured of John J. Weaver, No. 37 North Seventh atreet, or any of the Managera. a B. H. D. FRALEY. _ _ . Chalrman Board of Managera. B. Frank Akrett. Clerk- it* *©-„LECTURE BY REV. A. A. WiIUTS, MONDAY, February IS, at 7J4 P. being thdArat of a courae of eix MUSICAL AND LITERARY ENTETAINMENT9, lii the Wcat Arch Street Freabyteriaa Church, corner of Eighteenth itrcet, for the benefit of the church. Ticket*, cent*; (or sale at Uould'e, 923 Chestnut; Boner’s, UOJ Chestnut atreet, and at the door each evening. fel3-2trp* fgy* LKCTL BE—“ TOE PECULIARITIES OF TUB Engli*b Lan*uft*e"-by BEKTHOLD T. ttTEINER, al the A>sembl> iiulldiiif*, TO-MURROW NIGHT? at 8 o'clock. Door* open at 7. Admiiaion, 25 and SO cent*. ip jfiy BOW ARB HOSPITAL* NOS. lflEB AND IS3D Lombard etreet, Dispona&ry Depnraneni.—Medi sal treatment and medicine furnished Eratuitou*)*' to he poor. TALENTIIE’R day. Who writes Ibc Comic Valentine.- Who la this ronr-hearted and circumflex-mouthed satirisl who emerges once every year from some Stygian cave or other and writes upon the shop, windows, a ilh his corrosive finger, the-poetic denunciation of his race ? Bead bis philippics, as they piece on to one another and compose the roll, of every vice and bideousness known to humanity! What a nauseous ogre this muit be, who rolls in hu man shames and scandal as T in a thrice-driven bed of down, and tears characters and mnak« to pieces with his ragged fangs. “ This satirist has a friend with aalmllar alacrity at seeing the worst side of people. It Is the ar tist of the Comic Valentine. Timon of Athens elves his arm to Salvator Rosa, and together they '•■el trampling through the carnival of hnmanlty, (lading nothing to like, none to caress, and only ' passing poor human nature into each other's bands to devour? to bon,, to cruuch: r to suck dry and to spit out and befoul. In the opinion of our Timon mankind resolves ittelf into tho Swine, the Glutton, the Sponge, he Gas-Bag, the Simpleton, the Hen-pecked, the eotbetty, the Greenhorn, the Rake, the Bumpkin, ike Fox, the Innocent the Old Deceiver, and Old Nick himself. Womaih lovely woo-man. sacred woo-man.—what consideration does she get from ibis mordant reformer ? Why, the touches are so pitiless, so nervous and jagged, so completely wanting In the strength of self-balance and the instinct of chivalry, that we are tempted to think our poet must have handed over the stylus to some feminine claw, with a general commission to pierce and tear am) blacken. £h, Timon. Timon, bad yon never a mother, never some, gracious and white-armed Attic sister or other dreaming by the bine -Kgean. or valking, like Dinah, "in the Gardlng von day?” We find, in the repertory of Timon, only the Dirty Vt'omao, the Ugly Woman, with “nose and chin like any parrot's;’' the woman who wears the breeches; the woman-artist, who paints upon each cheek a rose with all its leaves complete! the Coquette, the Husband-Angler, the Amorous Widow, the Wife for Old Nick, or guiltiest ofall, the Old Maid (a criminal whose celibacy takes the appalling form of a pink dress,dlsheveled hair, mob-cap, broken slippers and one arm twice the length of the other; white her congenial and ob vious "end" is,—the fate ofa slice of toast over the lurnace of Beelzebub!) Vet this hideous Jeremiah, with his utter lack of hope for tho race, and his dull and nn-ldea’d misanthropy, seems to find friends among the people. The lower bourgeoisie do not stick at a handful of mnd or so. The happiest patrons of Baint Valentine we have seen were three honest policemen, of the new dynasty, with the ehouldere of Atlas and tho tongues of Thersites, whom we jost now passed at a stationer’s window. The blue-birds were selecting for their favorite Bid. dies from the lavish display behind the glass; they were very voluble in an outrageous brogue, very literarily inclined, and their matnal chaff was emphasized with caffs and pushes froth a set of herculean limbs that wonld have wiped smaller humorists out of existence. Traditions from the green country had reminded them that this was the day when blue-birds pair, and the "runs’' which were reciprocated between them, if not ex cessively witty, were dealt and taken with beam ing candor. “Here’s for yon, Moike!” ■ And the three giants exploded with a genuine sense of comedy over a very hnmble,bntnnnßnally innocent piece of satire. It was the cheerQiUesl of Comic Valentines, and seemed truly a picture of Eden ere the serpent entered. There were a mother in the straw, a father bare-legged and coijfi « i'anglaiee, and a gigantic baby ; all three bathed with smiles. Even tho poet for the mo ment here drops his sardonlcs, and drawß a pic ture of Paradise : “From, the breaking of morn to the close of the day, Yon delight that blest baby In the cradle to rock (this line has a tran scendency of prosody quite Shakspeareian), And yon grin with delight when yon hear tho folks say, La! isn’t It a perfect chip, off the old block!” When Timon of Athens feels less inventive and Shakespearian than nsnal, there is a fund of cheap satire in the mere avocations of his vic tims. The carpenter is blamed, heaven knows why, for smiling “like a basket of chips." The Baker, the Brickmaker, the Hodman, the Tobac conist, and a host more, are treated with unintel ligent scorn by this blind Timon, Whose theories, on the labor question are none of the brightest; these important artisans are haughtily treated, with the injustice of a diseased mind, os artisans pprse; and when Timon’s imagination fails, and he cannot think, of any more specific trades, he gets tho artist to depict a generic kind of a la borer, vaguoly working at the disintegration of PHILADELPHIA, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1869. mailer in general, and hnris all his remaining spite at his victim for being just a “workman." Timon’s venom would go to the place better if he worked a Utile higher in the social scale. Bat he has a singnlar modesty in keeping out of tho way of a gentleman. We cannot find in a pound or two of penny valentines lylDg before ns, any professions satirized that are of a much higher grade than the useful ones we have mentioned; ihero is, however, a doctor,—some low poisoner who never had a bill paid in anything but adul terated groceries, if wo may judge from the por trait. Timon’s notion of a bloated aristocrat is a gay mmeeller in a red waistcoat; this chevalier is attacked, not morally, but for his single eye to wealth; we fear he has refused to dead-head Timon; “Smashes, cocktails and juleps,-mm, brandy or gW, It's no matter what, yon want only the Tin.'’ As for the artist, we conld haverit in our hearts to langh at him compassionately, he is so com pletely obsolete. He dresses his, coquette and his lady-killer In the fashions of General Taylor’s reign. He isfkJajjQra scarecrow keeping the field a mpfiith after harvest is gathered. His “rake’' has tho pointed standing coUar of an end man at Christy’s, and the seals and huge plaid troweers of ono of Dickens’s early scapegraces* Salvator's political notions are ten good years in arrear, and he has an elaborate, caricature of a Know-nothing, “Council No. X., skull and cross bones, K. N.;” he has never heard of Golden Circles or Ku-klux. Salvator, Salvator, come to the van! There are other Intrigues, other revolntlons now! Your friend Masaniello, Salvator, hates the Spanish rule as much as ever, out he hates it in another age and battles with it on another shore. Do you not hear him Bing, as 3on used to on the Naples MarineUa, “ Behold hwo .brightly breaks the morning," and “ Amour lacre de la patrie "? But he sings it to another hemisphere now, and it is on the Western coast that Spain is rooking, while the fishers are told teg Jeter leure filets en silence/’ Politics, however, are not mnch In the way of our shabby, greasy, fonl Saint Valentine. His wit, his company, are boorish, and of the kitchen. "And sure I think that he can drink with him that wealy a-hood.” -We have striven to sketch his likeness in his final moment of lntelUgent con sciousness, while the last wicked sardonic gleam is fading in his eye, just before be keels finally over into the sink of oblivion. [For the Phil*. Evening Bulletin.] - City Assessments. Messrs. Editors —ln your edition of Saturday last a case of “pecnUar hardship” was commented upon, where the owner® of an “unimproved lot" bronght to your attention' the fact that his pro perty had been assessed for the year 1867 at 8:1,000, and in 1868 returned under the new as sessment at $10,400, and had been raised for the year 1869 by the Board of Revision -to the sum of 820,000, and that he had expected the return for 1868 to remain for three years, and had not yet >ccci»c4 D otlcc of the change. In these comments yon rear tnai every oiuc, property-holder may suffer In the same way; and as there seems .to-Be a misapprehension ol the right of appeal, permit me to make an explana tion. The Board of Revision was created to revise and equalize assessments, and power was given them, uy the act of 1867, to raise or redace the valua tion of property in* any gear, when the same may be returned below or above “the price it would sell for at a fair sale after dne notice." By the repeal of the State tax on real estate the reason for a triennial assessment ceased, as the counties were no longer required to make tri- . nnial returns of real estate to the State Revenue Board for the purpose of fixing the amount of tax to be paid by the several counties to the Jommonwcaltb; and the act of 1867 virtually re pealed it so far as the city and county of Pnila delphltvls concerned. In the performance of their duties the Board of Revision have a large territory to revise—the city containing over 130 square miles—which is subdi vided into several hundred thonsand distinct assessments, the aggregate of the real estate valuations being over $450,000,000. . U By law it is made their duty to scrutinize the 'rettfrns, and correct errors of valuation /fn each ! ear. and they have been diligently performing that office up to the time the tax duplkites were placed in the hands of the Receiver otfTaxes. This, in the majority of caseß, precludes per sonal notice before the. tax books are opened; out the law above referred to also enlarged the time of appeal, and the Board is in session dur ing the business hours of every day of the year, &nd ready to hear appeals of every taxpayer ogrievtd, and grant relief If his property is as sessed beyond Its market value. This Is better than notice left upon the pre mises of a fixed day of appeal, for in the cases of "unimproved lots’’the owner’s residence in most instances is unknown, aßd where improved pro perty is occupied by tenants, experience proves ■bat notices are seldom delivered bv them to the owner. Now one remark in regard to the assessment complained of above. A fair mode of testing the umonnt of hardship imposed upon the complain ant wonld be for him, at the time of stating his grievance, to reform the public of the location and dimensions of the “unimproved lot," and his own opinion of the market value' of the same. But, in the absence of this information, it will be observed that he does not assert that the sum at which it is assessed for 1869 is beyond its market value, but that inasmuch os he paid on only ten per cent, of that- value in 1867, and fifty-five per cent, in 1868, that it is a hardship that the valua tion should be raised to the basis on which other property-holders are paying for the year 1869. Or if,in fact, the value of property has increased since 1867, the case becomes no harder,for the increased volne enables him better to afford to pay taxes than if it bod remained a dead investment without on advance in value,' The city must levy and collect a certain amount of money for annual expenses upon the values of year. Is it Just or equitable that a property holder who has, ihrongh error of judgment of as sessors,paid taxes on only one-half the real value of his property in 1868, should claim that this ad vantage ovor other taxpayers entitled him to a continuance of it for the yeaf 1869? One other fact—ls it arbitrary for public offi cers to executo the law ? If a ptoperty is assessed in error beyond its real value, all taxpayeruagreo that an abatement of the excessive amount should be made by the city, and this relief has, I believe, in aU proper cases been given. And if it is just that the city should correct an error by reduction, it is also just and reasonable that those who are returned below tho average Bhould be raised to an equality with others. Right wrongs no man. Equality. (For the Philadelphia Evoning Bulletin. J Tlic Oldest Bouse In New Torn City, “Hermit,” an occasional correspondent from New York, gives an interesting description of the Beach House and some of its singular con temporaries: The oldest house in that city Is at tho corner of Greenwich and Cedar streets, and os it is the only wooden house on any of the four corners formed by the Intersection of these streets, it may easily bo recognized-. It is about twenty feet Bquare, and is two stories in height. Tho weather-boards, which have no doubt been .In use a century, are still of good service, and so is. tho antique roof. Tho first floor is occupied as a grocery, and the OUR WHOLE COUNTRY. upper story Is tenanted by several poor families, who, as a matter of course, pay enormous rents, and hence, old as it may be, it still pays as well as one of modern construction. When the honeo was built it was In the suburbs ■of the city, which then contained about twenty thousand Inhabitants. It was the Beach ®tood on the margin of the Hudson, which, by reason of fiUiDg in, is now eight hun dred feet distant. The amouutof land thus made by docking out the river on this side of the town L B o/£?J!m. /iSi SRSP* ° ne thousand acres, worth 8300,000,000. The Beach House Is in the hands of the Crommelln family, who have held It fora long time, and will not sell it at any price. Ad “ ® building is one of similar character, which must have been built about the same time. Although of a small size, it was once used as a. tavern, and accommodated the emigrants who landed at the quay in front. Quite a < ®P OUB t - circumstance is connected with this old house. For more than fifty years a man has been known to come annually to this spot on a certain day and spend many hours gazing upon that old tavern. A friend recently inquired the reason. “Sir,” was the reply, “fifty years ago I entered that house, a poor weaver from Glasgow. AH I had in the world was con tained m a pocket-handkerchief In that little garret I slept the first night I was In America, und now I make it a rule to come here on this anniversary and thank God for Hi« mercy to me. The man thus referred to was the late Wil liam Bcot, lor many years a prominent merchant in New rork. Immediately on leaving the tavern referred to, he hired a basement and commenced weaving rag carpets. After amasslDg a small capital in this manner, he opened a retail store, and from this humble be ginning he became worth 6300,000. The next oldest house in the city Is the “Old Walton House. This well-known structure Is in Frank lin Square, near Harper’s book establishment. It was ball t before the Revolution bv an English gen tleman named Walton,in what was then tbe aris tocratic part of the city. It was a building of very great pretensions in his dav and its quaint heads, carved in brown stone, still show the taste of its author. It is now become a cheap board ing-house,or place of bodily entertainment, where one can drink beer and eat Welsh rare-blts amid the memories of former grandeur. Bis Opinion of tbe franking Privilege ami tbe Tenure-of-Office Lair, Washington, Feb. 13.—Gen. Grant receives ivisitore doily, from 10 to 12 o’clock, at army Tieadguarters—a plain three-story brick bnUdlng, with a high pillared piazza, located on the corner of West Seventeenth and M streets. In company wild a conple of ladies and two or three gentle men of distinction we had a pleasant interview of half an hour or so with him this morning He received the party with cordiality, bat with no unnecessary display, and at once entered into conversation upon the current topic* of the day. The conversation turning upon the tendency to extrava gant* in the Government, he declared, with the ntmost emphasis, the conviction that Congress should seek, by all means in its power, to stop the leaks which are from time to time discovered—commencing with'the complete abo lition of the franking privilege, which he re garded as an utter abomination. Why not, he to P4 vU .g?: tsurn postage—allowing them therelor in the set tlement of their accounts? This is the role, he added, as to the Generals of the armies, and it is the right one for all cases. “Members of Con gress have frequently proposed to give me tbe trankihg privilege, but I have uniformly de clined; the Quartermaster allows me lor my ac tual expense of pOßtage, and I don't want the Government to do any more than this.” To a suggestion that there 6eemed to be a propriety in permitting members of Congress to transmit to their constituents documents ol public interest and value, Gen. Grant replied that, according to his observations, the great majority of those who receive the documents care little or nothing for them, though some probably feel flattered by tbtir receipt, and in his judgment the people would be quite willing to forego their share In the benefits of the exercise of the privilege lor the sake of getting rid of the abuse to which it has given rise. It leads to an enormous expense, is unnecessary, and should be torn up by the roots. In reference to another matter—the extrava gance of Congress in the printing of documents— General Grant expresses himself with equal em phasis. One of the visitors expressing a wish that the subsidizing of the Congressional Globe might be stopped, and a law passed requiring every member to pay for the printing of ms own speeches, the General said that this, while de sirable, would abate only a small part oi the evil. Tons of documents are printed every year which are of no conceivable interest to any one. and have no valueontside of a very limited sphere. Why should money be waited in printing what no sane publisher In the land would think of touching for a moment? Thq yrhole thing is wrong, and ought to be Stopped. There can be no doubt at all that General Grant desires the repeal of the Tenure-of-Offlee law. He feels that so long as it remains upon the statute book he will be unnecessarily hampered and re stricted in purging the various branches of the Government service of corrupt and dißhonest officials, who.having got into powfcr by appoint ment of Mr. Johnson or the complacency of the Senate, are now able to command influential supporters in the latter body. It is a.well-known fact that even the clerks of the Departments have been able, by menaces and .jotherwiee, to drive members of Congress into the support ol their scheme for an advance of their pay, and if tfru could he done by persons of inconsid erable influence what might not be done by the wealthy “ rings” in whisky, in Indian affairs, &c.,toward.preventing the removalof corrupt men and the appointment of honest-officials in their stead ? General Grant 6ald that, so lar as he knew, every thief in the governmentemploy. and every “ring” which Is engaged in debauching legislation, wanted the law to stand as it is. Referring to the objection made by some that to repeal the law now would amount to a confession that it was passed solely to embarrass Mr. Johnson, Gen. Grant remarked that this was, undoubtedly, the object Congress had in view—-the preservation of the purity ol the public eervlce against the inroads of rascality and incompetency, and he saw nothing in that fact of which any man need to be ashamed.— { Correspondence of the Newark Courier . ] New Yobk, Feb. 15. —The steamer Ariel sails March 13th for Copenhagen, via Southampton, the pioneer ship of an American line between the United and'Denmark. Roger Brothers, the agents, have contracted to bring several thou saud Scandinavian and North German emigrants tblß year from Copenhagen, Goitenburg and Hamburg. Weather Report. Feb. 15.9 A.M. Wind. Weather. Ther. Pißistcr Cove N. Cloudy. 16 Portland ;.N. E. Snowing. 24 805t0n,... E. Raining. 85 NewVork. .....N. E. Raining. 42 PhibuMpMa . NB . Clondy 45 Wilmington, Del—„ E. Raining. 54 Washington N.W. Clear. 52 Augusta, Ga..... W. Clear. 62 Charleston .iff. ' Cloudy. 66 Balfalo Fogey. 42 Pittsburgh...... Cloudy. 48 Chicago. ,N. W. Clondy. 33 New Orleans...... ..N. Clear. 66 Key We5t............. Foggy. - 74- Havana........ Clear. 74 —An ambitious authoress In Belfast, of the ma ture ago of nine years, has written ait opening chapter of a novel.’ ’Two of her characters are described as “twins, one five and the other elx years old." GEN. GRANT. From New Fork. nCSICAL ABD DRAMATIC. —The second concert of tho Philadelphia Phil harmonic Bociety, which took place on Saturday evening, in tho Academy of Mnslc, was a success like the first. Tho early part of the career of the new corporation is, therefore, so prosperous and encouraging, that a brilliant history, with a fu ture of success and usetainess, may safely be pra i were some vacancies in the ranks ol the instrumentalists on Saturday. Still, there wffiran orchestra of about sixty excellent musi cians, who are evidently profiting by the training of their leader, Mr. Dietrich. The first part of the programme consisted of Mendelssohn’s Symphony In A minor, known better as “tho Scotch Symphony.” There are four. movements .nominally, though the first Is worked np from an “Andante” to an “Allegro," and the last, beginning “Allegro,” winds up with a “Vivacisslmo." The Symphony was intro duced to the Philadelphia public years ago by Jullten, with hla noble orchestra, and the older persons in the audience of Saturday found them- Belves making comparisons. Bnt even the most Critical could not. bnt acknowledge that the Phtihumonic orchestra played the elaborate and difficult work well. Longer practice together , a , more severe' discipline will remove many little imperfections of detail In the performance of works of a high class. It has taken years of such training to make the New York Phllhar moplc orchestra perfect In its work. The overture to Der Freischiitz opened the se cond part of the concert, and it was capitally played. Then followed Beethoven’s Concerto in E flat major, on. 73, with Mr. Carl Wolfsohn at the piano. This long and elaborate work, in three movements, was finely performed, Mr. Wolfsohn proving anew his exceuenee as an in terpreter of Beethoven. To play on the piano a classical work of the great composer in the vast area of the Academy, and to produce an effect wlt T i*! re q ul reB a master. Mr. Wolfsohn suc ceeded in this, and his brilliant execution and in telligent expression were fully appreciated, each movement calling forth hearty applause Mr. Rudolph Hennig, whose delicious violin cello had been distinguished among all the others throughout the concert, followed the Beethoven' concerto, in one by Goltermann, for viollncello and orchestra. In this charming composition Mr. Hennig had opportunities of exhibiting his technical power as well os his surpassing beauty of tone and tenderness of expression. There were passages of excessive aifficnlty, which proved to have no difficulty for him. There ' were also passages of nobly-phrased melody, in which, of course, he was perfect Altogether it was a great performance, not surpassed by that of any violincellist that has ever been heard here, and bis hearers must have been more than ever rejoiced that snch an artist had chosen Philadel phia as his place of residence. He was repeatedly and warmly applanded daring his performance of this very difllcalt piece. The eoncert concluded with the overture by Berlioz called Lss Francs Juges —a work more re markable for(oddily than for beauty, but which is not to be excluded from the repertoire of a So ciety that desires to represent the art of mnslc in ail its stages, and to illustrate at times even its eccentricities. Snch compositions are good also as exercise, for the writers of the Wagner and Berlioz school are, to say the least, not common place, and they offer nnnsnal forms of melody and combinations of harmony, which somoiimes serve a purpose as a lesson as well as an inspira tion of genine The cr('nti CUgagCQ m .. me rfiuadelphia Philharmonic Society have, thus far, great reason to be gratified with the re sult of their exertions. The two concerts already given have been successes. At the third, which Is announced to take place March 13th, Beetho ven’s Pastoral Symphony will be played, and Mr. Mills, the New York pianist, wilt play in Lhopln’s great concerto. The audience at these concerts deserves notice. Never have we ob served, at aDy concerts In Philadelphia, snch real interest and such respectful attention, on the pait of a large assemblage, as was shown on Saturday evening. There was none of the Idle small-talk that Is one ot the ieatnres of many and is said to prevail extensively at the Nm York Philharmonic concerts. The Bobemianiam, male and iemale, that runs to burlesque ’ operas, played by vulgar fourth-class actors and actresses, and Inncies that they, with their nasty jokes and their harlot dances, represent art, does not show itself at tho Academy when a grand symphony is performed. Beethoven, Mendels sohn and Mozart are bores to this part of the pub lic, and it stays away from the Philharmonic concerts. So that there is a real and nnmlxed enjoyment in forming part of an andienoe that is sympathetic in its appreciation of true art, and docs not require a Tostee or a Can-Can to make mnslc palatable. The Philharmonic Society is already doing mnch to improve the popular taste, and to restore good music to its proper place m the estimation of the public. Hermit. —The Seßtz-Hassler concert at Musical Fund Hall on Saturday afternoon was nnexceptionally good. The managers relied entirely upon their own resources,ana did not introdace any foreign artists, either good or bad. The entertainment began With a very satisfactory performance of the overture td ifl Dame Blanche, after which Mozart'B sublime Jupiter Byniohony —given on a former occasion—waß repeated. Schubert's Ser enade followed, Messrs. Stoll and Hirers playing the solo parts with feeling and expression. The Stranss Waltz and the March, which conclndod the programme, were both given with creditable skill.» On Saturday next Messrs. Senlz and Hass ler will introdnee the children artists, Master and Miss Hess, whose performances on tho piano and vlglin are said to bo extraordinary. —On Wednesday afternoon, the regular re hearsal of the Germania Orchestra will be given in Horticultural Hall, with the following first rate Programme: Overture—Op. 44 J. W. Eolliwoda "Thou Beautiful Child” H. Proch Cornet Solo, poriormed by G. Dunn. Kroonnng’s (Coronation) Waltz Josf. Lanner Larghetto from Second Slnfonie Beethoven 'Overture—“Najaden.” W. 8. Bennett Duett—"Albln” F. V. Flotow Finale—“ Macbeth" A. H. Chelard —A concert will bo given in Concert Hall, to morrow evening, by tho Excelsior Cornet Band. A first rate programme has been prepared. —The second subscription concert of tho Men delssohn Societv will be given on Thursday evening at Mnsfcal Fond Hall. —The “Continental Old Folks" will give a con cert at Morton Hall, West Philadelphia, this and to-morrow evening. —Mr. and Mrs. Barney Williams will appear at the Walnut Street Theatre this evening In Ireland as it Was, The Rough Diamond, and A H°PPy Han. —At the Chestnnt this evening, Miss Bason Gal ton and her company will appear In Ching- Choto-Hi. —Tame Cals will be ropeated at the Arch to night. —Among the attractions at the American will be the original troupe of Japanese Jugglers, un der Prof. Risley. These will perform every even ing, and on Saturday afternoon at 2 o’clock. —Rev. A. A. WUlitts, D. D., will lecture at the Presbyterian Church, Eighteenth and Arch streets, this evening, on “Sunßhine; or, the Philo sophy of o Happy Life." There will also bo a very line musical entertainment in the church. Serious Illness of Parepo-Hoao, We annex a letter from Mr. Carl Rosa, an nouncing the serlbuß illness of Madame Parepa- Rosa, who was to have appeared In this city next week: Baltimore, Feb. 14.— Dear Sir:; I am very sorry to tell you that my poor wife, after having been up and out of doors by the 'advice of the physician, has had a relapse in her Illness, and is again confined to her bed, suffering foorfully and F. t. EEIHERSTOST. Publisher, PRICE THREE CENTS. unable to move. We will not be able to comet to Philadelphia next week, and I am sure yon "‘V ! e * me tho date for a\ later period, und oblige, by doing so, Yours sincerely, / ~ „ . . Carp Rosa. Mr. Geo. Hood, Academy of Music. FACTS ANO FANCIES. AVeek Old—AVcc Cold— Weak Old. friUrt r eomblnstlou of pathos and humor, tho following, from the Norwich, Conn., Advertiser. {nH^ r h DI? 1° b .° tho ? ail °f a father overhls hurled boy, is, to say the least—peculiars Close nestled in his mother’s arms. Hia cheeks as red as roses. With eyes of Heaven’s bluest blue _And snubblest of noses— ’ ~\~y Close nestled in his mother's arms, ' My week-old boy reposes. Fast mouldering in the hillside green. Where myrtles bloom, and roses. His baby mother sleeps 1 ween— No ariti hia form encloses— Fast mouldering on his hillside green. My wee cold boy reposes. Sweet slnmberer In loving arms— Dear dreamer’neath the roses— May I as free from all alarms Rest when this brief life closes When, mouldering on the hillside green. This weak old boy reposes. ’ Cornbi" 1681568,1018 wriUn S a now serial for the -It Is estimated that 20,000 Northerners are stopping in East Florida this winter. 77 Louisville paper head-lines some divorce suits The Grievances of Conjugality.” —The Tiffin 7W6ane suggests that parties ad dicted to snoring should wear clothes pins on their noses while sleeping. ■■■■-■ v.T U 18 r ®P° rted ‘ha* Gov. Chamberlain 1 , of Maine, was threatened with assassination In case he relused a reprieve of Harris, the beastly Au burn murderer. J Tho Columbus (Ohio) Crisis advances a characteristic Democratic argument against wo man suffrage when it says that “Lncy Stone's face beamß with intelligence and two large wartfl-* r ~ 4 sort of university for females, to be known as the College Victoria, has been opened at Betl -a 1, patroDago of 1116 Frinceas Royal of —The Harrisburg State Guard, of Saturday contains this learned item among its amusement notices: Shakespeare’s great play of Richard HI. will be produced the first night, In which Mr. Roberts sustains the character of Hamlpt an A has few superiors. —The New York personal sketcher of tho Uncago Tribuneßaye-. “Whenone of William Gil more Simms’s dramas was first given in Savan nah, the audience Is reported to have sat spell bound. Not a soul quitted the theatre. There 1 were only four persons present. One was deaf. < and the other three were asleep.” -The Viceroy of Egypt Is making great preparations for the reception of the Prince and ‘ Princess of Wales. A largo caravansary is bolus constructed near the great pyramid of Glzeh for the accommodation of the royal party and ‘suite, t he royal steam yacht will be placed at their dis posal for a trip up the Nile. —A wedding in New York—Married at the FfliJ'snßßSfasei cla Orastecla Clementina Marjary to George Smith, Jr., son of George Smith, the well-known whiiewaeherand calciminer, who retired from business a few years since. —Bnron James Rothschild’s widow, who ts an enthusiastic blue stocking, intends to bequeath a large portion of her vast fortune to literary men. During her husband’s life time she often quar reled with him about the assistance which she wanted him to render to poor authors. The Baron cared very little for literary merit, and often bragged of his not having read any of the books which created a groat sensation in Paris for the last twenty years. During a concert in the Boston Music Hall, recently, when the organist was “exhibiting tho lull power of the instrument," a lady was enthu siastically conversing with her neighbor about her household arrangements. Bhe suited the tones of her voice to those of the organ. The organist mode a sndden transition from "fff” to “pianissimo, ” consequently the audience was somewhat amused at being informed by her, in a shout, that “We fried ours in butter!” —At Bt. Petersburg, Patti was recalled “forty times” during her performance in SonnambulcL. Wbat is the shortest time In which an audience can sufficiently applaud a singer to make her appear In acknowledgment, and lo which the slDger can come on and go off again ? Say threes, minutes. Then just two hours must have beenx consumed in the applauding and acknowledging piocess. —The young and enormously wealthy Marquis of Bute, who has gone over to the Roman Catho lics, is described as a mild-faced lad, of gentle, regular features, with his hair parted in the mid dle, rather over his forehead, and lobking a good deal liko a girl in boy’s clothes. At school he eschewed masculine sports, preferring keeping bees f*nd reading—often books oa «OM&h Catho licism. His mother was of that religion; an ear actress married to an old peer who nad no chil dren by his firgt wife, and was not expected to have any by his second. The income of the Marquis, who has just turned twenty-one, is ©1,600,000 in gold. —A man in lowa who cruelly killed his wife and attempted suicide, is thus described by the Dcs Moines Register : “Persons acquainted with tho wretch say that he has always been a de praved, bad man—moody and cruel, suspicious and treacherous. Our readers will remember the piece of doggerel we published a few weeks ago, in which the author delineated his domestic woe with language more vigorous and slobbery than poetical. The writer was this man Shaffer. He brought it to this office and Spng it to us to the tune of ‘Barbara Allen,’ the tears running down his cheeks In most generous volume.” —We regret that the Buegrus (Ohio) Forum Is displeased with Grant. It remarks, in its accus tomed accents ot moderation: “ ‘The silence of Grant ’ Is tho eternal and nauseating topic of his toadies. All sensible men must be Sck of It The silence of Napoleon Is ominous. The silence of Slnglespeech Hamilton was remarkable, and under the circumstances, suspicious. But tho silence of Grant on all matters of political con cern comes of nothing but his ignorance. Ho has not even that poor smattering of Information which often makes the fool voluble. He is loqua cious enough on horses and dogs, and sings a bacchanal song boisterously, if not sweetly. Bat of constitutional law, of political economy, of everything, Indeed, which constitutes the know- . ledge of a statesman, he is as ignorant as a plan- , tation nigger. This is tho truth, as we dare be * sworn.” —Victorien Sardon always is greatly excited during the first performance of one of his new plays. But he nevor witnesses the performance , behind the scones, but always stays atsome bouse close to tho theatre in which the represen tation takes place. During the performance of his latest drama, Seraphme, at the Gymnaso Theatre, he sat in an oasy-chair at the adjoining house, which happened to belong to an old friend of his. His father-in-law informed him every quarter of an hour of tho manner ia • which the audience had received the various scenes of the play. .When he toldSardou that the success had been such as to surpass the most sanguine expectation of -the author, Victorien Bardou dried his perspiring forehead with his handkerchief, end exclalnicd: “I am vory happy, . father, very, happyr’ ; The] success Of s«rapAifes was, financially,.worth about eighty thousand, franca to Sardou. If the play had been hissed,or left the audience indifferent, he .would not have received a sou.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers