The News Condensed

Neouetary McCkarï lia isaued the following circular in regard to removes, promotions. etc. in tlio War Dopartment: "The civil employés now in the service of the United Htates onder the War Department aro hereby ínformed thnt bereafter remováis will be made in this department for canse only, and promotimiK will be oxdered npon the solc ground of merit. Every official must onderstand that retention and advancoment ín the service will depend npon a record of good behavior and efficiency and nut upon externa] inflnence. No politioal test i requiitd bevond au canicKt riupport of the coiwtitution and itn mnendnients : and a projxfl' respect for the rightx of citizms gnarantced thi ïclu-, indnstry and faithfnlness in the discharge of duty. a good moral cnaractor, and Hti'icily températe habita wil] be required and enforced, and heads of hurenud will report prompüy any case of ldleness, negleot of dnty, mca)acity, dnuikenness, or any inmioral or ■ dishonest oonduct In cuse of vacancy, report l thereof will le made, accompanled by i list of I all the most reliable and efficiënt clerks in the ■uil office, división, or bureau, from which list, the vnoancy shall bc tilled." SOUTH CAROLINA AFFAIKS. 41 the Cabinet Beasion held on tbo 23d of March. to devise ome mode for the adjustraent of the political tronblen in South Carolina, it ! wís decided to invite the rival clainiauts to the Oovernorship to visit Washington in pemon, and have a conference with the lresidcnt. Aooordingly the following letter was addressed to Messrs. Chamberlain andHampton. It was Bigned lv W. K. liogors. Private Hecretary to the Fresidout : Sir : I :uu tastructod by tho Pnsidfint to briug to your attontion hi purpont to tako into iniracdiate fininiilf rfttion tlio poHition of affaire In Boutb Carolina, with a view of rtatormlnlng thr OOQTM wlüch, in the order of the constitution aud laws of the United States, it may lw his duty to kftke iu rcference to the situatlou in that State, :h he ñnd it i upon Bucceeiling to the Preeldency. It would givr th" President reat pieasure to confiT with yi.u in ]"is(in, if yon 8iiU flnd it convrnient to visit Washington, and ehall concur with him in thinking BUcb a conference the roadleet and best mode of placing yonr views u to the political tqtuation iu your State beforo him. }ie would greatly prefer thin direct communicarioii of opinión and tion to any othrrniotinii of MoertainJtng your riem ! upon the prcent condition and the lmmedlata i prospect of public Interesto in South Carolina. If Í reason of weight wtih you should dlnooorage Uils oourec, the President will be glad to roeoive nny rmiimunieation froni you, in writing, or througii ! any delégate pomemlng your oonfldence, tbat will convey to lüui your views of the impedimenta to a 1 pcscénxl and onlrrly organizaron of a fingió and ondlspnted State Government in Soulh Cnrolina, and of the beHt inpthodfl of removinK tlien). Il is the earnext dfdire of the President to lic tble to put ' an end, as speedily as popoible, to all nppearnnce of tl]( intervention of the military of the United States in the politica] derangements which I affect the Government and afrtict the ! leoile of South Carolina. In thi desiro the Presiiti-nt cannot doulit that he truly ropresentt; the piitriotlo f eellog of the greatbodyof me peopleoï the United Butee, It is Impoealble that a protracted disorder in the domeetlo QoTexnment of anv stuto eau, or Bhould, iver fail to a matter of the liveliest iuterest aud POlicitude to the poople of the whole country. In the furtherance of a prompt and ?afe exocution of tht general porpoee, he invite a ' f uil comniunicatiou of your opinión on the v.hole Huh.iect, in Huch onr of the proponed forma as lnay eeeui to you most usi-i wl. TUK KAST. A fobokk of railroBd bonds, named James Kiiki)atrick, ha been arrested in New York with L100,000 worth of Bpurious Missouri Pacitic bonds. They are said to be an abnost porfeot Imitation of the gennine bonde A. üakoy Hal], ex-Mayor of New York, and lor many yoars one of tho mostnoted men in the metropolis, has nivstcriously diBappearod. His friendü believe that he lias eitner been murdered or has coninúttod suicide, as it is said his mental faoultieshave l&telrshoWn nymptoma of failinp. Another theory is that Mr. Hall lias sailed tor Enrope to esca]e testifyinf; against liis old friond Peter B. Sweeuey. f'or wliom he has a warm regard. THK WEST. Hon. Albkrt Hainek, r member of the'Ohio Sonate from Preble comity, met hin death accidentally by f:il!ing dowu a Btairway at his house in Columbus, Ohio. last treek. A boud robbery was perpetrated at Indianapolis, 110 day last weck. A thief entered the Indiana National Bank at midday, when most j of the employés were absent, placed a small dry-goods box i pou the floor, tood npoD it. i and, delibérate!; reaching over the counter to Uie moncy table, grabtxxj several piles of IjíUk. amounting lp $36,700. Six office.rs and employés of tho bank were in tho room at the Urne, but thoy were in the rear, and, altliongh 'i-ii]g the man, appeared to be dazed by the boldness of bis operations. The peuter jumped over the counter and gnrsned the tbief, but in the confusión he dartod up a rear stairway and cKsappcarod in an alley, and up to last account had not been arrested. Tuk Ponca Indiana object tothe proposed romoval of their tribc to the Indian Territorj-. They küv thoy will fight before they will lea. Advk-CK from the West state thnt Gen. Milea in getting rsady for an active eampaign agnint the hostile Indiaas. The Chicago Tribune publishes a collectiou of brief commumeations from farmers in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Minneotj. giving informatdon relativo tothe grasahopper onUook I for 1877. All agree that the severo weather of Man-h lias not destryed the eggs to any üpprooiable extent, and that with tlie advent nf wanner weather the hatching procesa v. ill go forward as in former years. In man; looalities organized actíon will bc taken, and there seems ! to have ken a general and uniform adoption of the policy of leaving the drled ma of the prairies to lxj burued over in the spring bastead of (he fall. and by tuis means destroj vast quantitioe of the inseots before they have reaohed an able-bodied stage of grouth The perBOBB"! ngaged in the. late massacre of Chinese, ai Cinco, Ca!., have been arrested. Au attempt was recent ly made near Deadwood, Dakota, to rob the Cheyenne and Black Hitlsstage. Kive masked men interoepted the ooaph, shot and killed the driver and senonsly uunded oue of the ptssengers. The horses ran away and !id not Btop till tliiy reached Deadwood, thus dei.riving the highwavmen of their anticipated booty.. .V ! W. Maxwell and bis on, agcd 16. stock men formerly of Staart, lowa, ánd looated in Colfax uounty, New Mexico, wore recently murdered by a negro, who has ince been captured at Trinidad. Col. Robber? was the probable cause, as Maxwell wan supposed to have monev with bim. WASHINGTON. 1 uk President has eomploted the oommission tor the ])urixse of investigating the ravages of grasshoppers in the Western States. It consicts of Prof. 0. V. Kiley, State Entomologiat or Utssoori : Prof. Oyrns Thomas, State Kntomoloiát, of IllinoiK. and Prof. A. S. Packard, of Salem, ílass. The commismon is spoken 01 by those interestcd ui its work a an exoeedinirlv able body. e J Skveral Cabinet meetings were held laat eek, the greater portion of the time of each tNiag devoted to the eonsideration of the Lonisjana qnestion. Af ter discussing the questiim in all its bearings, and considering all the inforniation that has been fmnislied the Fresidejit by the agenta of the Govemora I id.ative thercto. it was finally concluded to I send a commlasion to New Örleans, ami to await it report before disturbios the present status of affairn there. It La reported tliat therc was aome difference of opinión h to the wisdom of innnediately ordering ' " United St;itcs troops away from the vitiuity pf the State House in New Orleans, although tnere was none as to the general details of the I residenfs policy, and, after a fnll coiisultatioii and a vote, in wbich Messrs Kvarts. Sclmr., and Key f&vored the immcdiate witbdrawal of ; troops, it was the nnanimone opinión that the I comnussion plan was tin: beat.. . .Juatice CSifford says he lias no intention of resigning bis posiüon on the bench of the Supreme Oourt I'iik Army lioard of Engineers, consinting of Oehg. Dnaue, Wright and Gillman, who were ordered to examine tlie Washington monument and the foundation upon which it is built, after a careful exanüuatian of the work done, and the trata beneath the foundation, havo ordered the work to cease. All the members agreed that the monument could not be completod aecording to the regular design, bccause the forniation of the ground below t.ho foundation will not admit of more woighl being put upon tlie nioniiment. The foundation was originall; placed 8 feet bclow the mirficé, and has now setUed Ü% niches. The BetUlng began while the monument was in process of building, and as in settlmg the sheft leaned north, the builden still built aecording to the plumb-line, and the whole pile is erooked. The ComraiHitioner of the General Land Office bas isued orders providing for the vlgorous progeonUon of the work of deteoting and bringi"g to punishnient depredatorson public timberlands, cspodally in tOnnesota, where violatione 01 Uie law are most numerouH. . . .The Solicitor 01 tóe I ren su rv, after an iuvestigation of tho cliarges against Asmstant SecreUry Conant, exonerates tliat official. THE SOIJTH. A roiNT of souie importance in the logal contest for tho Govemorahlp of South (Carolina has been gained by Hampton in a decisión of the Charleston Circuit Oourt. releasing a prisont-r held on the warrant of ono of (Jhiuntn rlain'a magistaitea, The coiu't held that Himiton waa lawfully olected Onreruor in November, and tlrnt ( wunberlaia )ih do legft] clsini "i Vh-u.u plaoeq tbi important judicial district in the Htate, vith all it official machinery, iu the liandn of the Hamptonitey. .V New Obucahb telegram says "theBrookses, of Boston, owihtk of several niillions of property In New Orleans, have paid their taxes to the Nicholls Collectors. Many large propertyownere have paid their taxea to the Nicholls i Government, including lïurnside, the lai'ist property-ovrner in Lotusiana." A LADï named Armstrong and hei bou were burned to death at Little Rook, Ark., u few d:iy ugo. Coal oil Nloholls and I'aekard, the rival claimants to the Govemorship of Lonisiana, have apain iaaoed proolunatioDs, ' eiU'h aSBortÜlg that he k at tlie head of a fullyorganized Government, and that his rival e :i pretender, :i fraiul. ete. POLITICAL. The Obio Legislatore, on the 2nth of Harob, elected Hon. Stanley Matthews United Btatee Senator, The Democratie members made no Dominaüon, aml gonoraJly votod blank. ...Mr. Washburne expects to retain the Frenck mission. He will return tn Paris in April ,T. Don Cameron hun been elected to tlie United KtatoH Senate from l'ennsylvanin, in place of hi father, Simon Cameron, resigned. It is tated in a dispatch from Washington that " while, as a general .principie, the President' plan of civil-service reform does not contémplate the removal of thosc whose commissions have not expired, this is only adopted as a general rale, affording solid ground to stand on at the start. liut it 0R& be accepted as bevond qnestion as '■ ecnially a part of tlie President' plan to n r tx it that f office has been obtained by improper means, or if improper persons are found ín office, the mere fact of their holding commissions will afford the-m no protection. AH cases of tbis kind bronght to the attention of the President will le fnlly considoredasrapidh as they can be reached.". . . .Gov. Bobinson. oí New l'ork, nominated Gen. George B. MeClellan for Ktate Superintendent of Public , Wdrks, and the 8enate rejected hini by a vote ! of 13 to 9. The following Associated Press dlspatob from Washington was apparently inspired by the I President, and explalna itself : " Concerning the allegod assuranee of the President to Southern gentlemen, involvinc the drawal of tho troops from the capital of Loniaiaria and South Carolina, there is i ity for stating that the President ha given no assurance of immediate action on the subjoct. In all casen he han raid tliat the gravity of these ciuestioiiH requirod oaution aud delibt Rition, and henee his recent letters to Govs. Chamberlain and Hampton, inviting them to Washington. It is farmer stat'd in ; official quartere tliat previons to the PreHident's inauguration he meditated ronding a commiasion to Louisiana. Reveral of the prominent Southern men, who had been referred to as parties to varioiiH nlleged 'agreements' 011 thia bjeet, sny.they are as wel) Batisfiad dow as at any previous time that in the end no Southeyi State Government will be sustained by Federal troops. They consider that nothing has been done by the l'resident since he indorsed the scntiments of lïepresentative Poster'a speech, or since lic niade them more emphatically his own in his inaugura! address, which violates or indioatea any intended violation of the policy thns announced. and, therefore. even if the assurances given by Matihewa and Fouter had been made by the President himself iwhieh was not the oase) there is no ground for assertins; tliat thcv wUl not be fulfilled." GENKKAL. Ax English Bteamer, with arme from New : Haven for Conatantinople, lmsbeen lost at. sea. ', . . . .Hou. E. B. Wanhtrarne, the United States , Minister nf Paris, wasealled iipun at Washington, the other day, by a committee of Gennans and prescnted with' resolutions tlmnking him I for services to tueir countrynien daring the j Franco-German war. . . .Gen. Grapt, it is said, ! ; will start in a few days on hú two years' European tour. The ex-President left Washington for St. Louis last. week. ÏIk. Washburxe has made a formal requext of tbc President to bc rocalled tram bis post nu Minister to the French republic, the recall I to take effect at the pleasure of the President - i immediately, or upon the appointment and arrival in Paria of bis snecessor The competition betweon the theatrical manager of Chicago i uimsually brisk juat uow, and, as a result, the amusement bilis are more than ordinnrily nttractire. Au usual, MoVicker's in ahcad, I largc audiences appearing uightly to witneBS i the fimnhed soting of Mr. Dion Koucicault. the oelebrated bish-EngUsb actor, a Conn, the Shaughraun, in the play of that name- wiid to 1? the most interesting and amusing Iiish drama ever written. It is reported that the Missouri, Kansas and Texas railroad is to pass under the management of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Company, in virtue of a lease for nincty-nine yeara. FOREIGN. Skvkiial highly dútinguiahed Knropoan ' cers, who have long been inveetigftting the j trength of tho lukish army, state that the official estimatcR are vastly exaggerated. The Turks only have on the Daimbo frontier and in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 15!l,000 men, with, what seems hardly credible, 225 connon. This force they are preparing to strengthen with a reserve of 25,000 men. They have, on the I atic ironüer, about 75,000 men and 120 canñon. Altogother their iirniy numbers 250,000. The state of the Pope's health is a matter of anxiou8 Bolicitude to the Enropean Governments, and foreign Ministers to the Vatican have been notilitd to report fully and Ii.:quently concerning the physical condition of I Pius IX. ïho venerable 'jxmtiff will bo 85 years old on the 13th of May next The oewB from Montenegro in of g irarlike character. Prince Nicholax refuses to Burrender the tcmtory gained from hira by conqtiest, and lias appealed to the Europeao powere to Bostain hún Serious labor riots are reported in Beiiin . . . The London Neas' Berlin correspondent, commenting apon the fact ttiat the Germán Parliament, by the deciaive majority of 71, had favored Lêipsie as the Boat oí tlic imperial luw ooturt, says tbis is the sererest blow vet dealt at Prussia, and the wovk of centralization and consolidation. An Amsterdam banker recently offered HhrBiaaloanof 25,000.000 ïoubleB at 8 percent., bat tl: negotiation feil tlirongliiii OOIUieqaenoe of the banker nriBtlng on disarmament and an eugaf?einent to raiae no other loan for fivo years as the eonditions for the oue hc offered Thero were great festivitiea in Berlin on the 22d of March, in celebration oi' the soth birthday of Emperor William. . . .Destdtntion and diatress prtjvail among the working people In large diatriota of Germany, and poruona of Silesia are threatened witli actual faniine. Tho plan of giving émployment to the Idle and hungrj o public woilt to bc onderteken for tho purpose is propoeed in some of the oities, and relief ooinmictees are fomiing in tle capital. The thirty-fourth Engliah Qniversity boatrace was rowed on the 24th of March, and the course waK the usual one on the Thames, from Putney to Uortlake : distónos foor milex and two furlongs. Of the Cambridge eiglit, ix participated in last year'e contcst : whilo of the Oxford crew four were ancient marinéis, bnt the coxmvain was a novice of the Thames. At the conclusión of tho race, which was a decidedly exciting onc, the Judgee declared it a dead lieat. lt was pronounecd the limst one ever rowed. V Bomba? dispatch says there is little or no ehange in the famine-inflicted distrlcta of India. . Tliousands of natives are till employed on the relief works. Thcro liad been COpiona showers, u)ii;li, it -vas thought, would do much K""il Advices from Congo, on the west eoast of África, state that the lïritisli war steamer Avon liad destroyed seven villages on the Congo rivcr, and killed threc natives. as a. punishment for plundering the American schooner Thomas Nickerson.OÏ New York... A lióme dispatch states that owiug to the fcverish exciti;ment and unreniitting labor at the Vatican, relativo to the coneistory, the Pope lias fallen ill agaiu. - - - - - - -_ -