Gossip Of The Day

Mr. O'Hair, a Solón f rom Edgar ; ty, has introducea in the ülinois Legjfc ■ lature a bilí to abolish that immemoriai and peeuliarly American custom of " treating. " He proposes to do this by imposing a fine of from $20 to $100 upon any person who askn motlwr to " teke a drink " o f intoxieating liquors. Severe Winter In Europe. Tho present winter ia more severe, if possible, in Europa tban in this country. In Austria, during last montli, the railroads were blocked with snow and travel virtually suspended for a fortnight at a timo. Suowfstorma and intenso cold ■are unusually cominon all over the coninent. Even in Southern Europe there is genei'al coinplaint. _______ . i f _ i J J Suits ARainst the Union Pacilic. A proposition has been made by the Union Paeiiic Ruilvoad Company to compromise all suits against it on bclinlf oi' the government. It offers to pay into the Treasury' half a million dollars aünually for twenty years, and three-quarters of a million thereaf ter as a sinking fruid to meet bonds nnd interest. It js believed the government will aocept the proposition. - . Bazaine to the Front. Adviees from the iápanisli capital mention Marshal Bazaine as the coming man there. It is reported that he is to be given a command in the Northern army. If he gain laui-elR there, he ■will have a yet ldgher port. With Bazaine at the head of the War Office, it is thought by the royal family the era of pronunï.ian( nton would be olosed in Spain. Like Narvaez, he would make a clean sweep of all malcontenta by shootmg thein. A Blg Bore. So mucL has been said about the Hoosac tunnel that it lias been a great bore in both senses of the word. It is a relief to know tliat a train has at last passed tlirough it. The tuimel is 25,080 fwt long, a trino less than fivo miles. This puts it next to the Mt. Oenis bore on the scale of lengtli. Work on it was begiui in 1852. Its cost to date lias been $12,000,000. The cost of its entire completion will be $1,000,000 more. Upon the wholo, we think Massachusetts has paid pretty dearly for her big bore. Tlie lUassacUusetts Silver Mines. Interest iu the Newburyport (Massr) silver mines is on the iiierease. A dispatch froni therc tatos that a part ovmex in the Chapman lotle has been offered $750,000 for his interest and he rëfjteeö, demanding $1,000,000. A Ne-w York company ís investing heavily in laud adjacent to the recently discovered veins. They have just pnrohasod one trat for $IX),000 and secured the refusal of sever.d ()thcrs, intcuding to prospect as sooi as the snow is ofl' the ground. It is esti mated that witli aew machinery tot mine now being worked ill yield $5,00( per day. _____ Cuunting the Electoral Votes. The effort toamend the Constitution so as to provide for electing tlio Presiden and Vice-Presideut by the pc ]le directly, instead of throngh the inter inediation of eleetors, nietos to have been abandoned in Congress. Senator MoTton's proposition -was not acceptable, and no other lias been presentad, ïlie Senate is now conftning its attention to a ïïow metliod of conntiiig tlie votes and determining questions (of legality gro-vving ont of them. Ther'e are two propositions; one is to liave the Supremo Court eount the votes and anuounce the rcsult; the other is to liave them connted iii joint session, as heretofore, but with tb.e important proviso that the votes of no State shall be rejectéd miless vith the consent of bott houses of Oongi-ess. i ■ ■ i - : ■ ■ ■ 'i'i Troubl.í About tlie Tigcr. A Washington letter-writer states tlmt tho notorkms sport, John Chamberlain, J wlio q uudaciously opened a gamblinghell in the building rccently occupied by the British Legation, was verdant enough ] to give a dinner to a dozen " j niiiii (!) of the pre,sB." They not ouly cujoyed Ms tare and drank his wine, but ' noarly all of thom went to their homeB j and wrote more or loss órnate accounts of what tlioy had seen. These have 1 cited the indignation of decent people all I over the country, some of whom have witten to their friends iu Congresu and urgod that, if existing laws ave, not suffloieut to abolish the nuisance, new ones may be enacted. The Judiciary Cf)mmittee of the Sonate has now the subject under consideration, and it is probable that Mr. Chamberliiin vill Boon find hls j occupation gone. Tlus is a case ivliere iulvcrtising does not pay. Trices Tumblinjr The condition of general trade and the shrinkage of -vahíos in this country are well illuatrafced iu the prevailing pricnK of railroad iron. A eontract ivas rcccTitty clipscd nt Cinciunati for 12,000 tons of iron rails for tlm ('incinnati and i SouÜiern railroad at .?52.75 per tou, and for 11,000 tons of Bcssemcr steel rails at 1 $7". "!) per ton , delivered. Eig'nti rn months ago these rails would hV cok! $84 per ton for tlie iron, and $110 for the Steel. The fall in price of iron rails, therefore, has been 60 per cent., and in ] steel rails 50 per cent. Steel rails nro now cheaper than iron rails were in 1873. The fal) in the prioe of pig-iron lias licin greater still. Tlie same quality of iron that was sold roadily, na fast as it eould be made, at $54 per ton in 1873, now sella dnll at $30- a fall of nearly 100 per cent. It will be seen that tho same amount of money will buy twice as mtich pig-iron as in 1873, 60 per cent. more of iron rails, and 50 per oent. more of steel rail Th" me remark applies in 3 greater or less ex tent to íill otlier míuiufnetured l'iil-icn; all ure Clieiperlli mi iluvy wcrti oightocn montha ago.