Official Corruption

Excitement is intense over the revelation which Premier Mercier has made in regard to the corruptiou which was carried on by the lato Quebee government. i The full extent of the plundering perpetrated will not be known until a parliamentary investigation is held. The ] meuts of the late speaker, which were elaborately furui-lied out of the treasury, hiive been compietely stripped. Valuabie '■ plato and furnihings are missing, and are : known to have been carrieJ olT by the boodlers. On taking hold of the treasury chest Mr. Morcior úminl it empty. Not one cent was thero to the credit of the government. Worse than that, Sir John Macdonald has udvanced the defunct : noveiument over $500,UOJ out of the niinion treasnry, which was charged against the province, all of which went into the general corruption f und. In addition to ibis the province has been run heavily into debt and largo amounts of j outstauding claims remain to be paid and i there is noihing with which to pay them. ! Premier Mercier has issued a circular to , officials in all branches of the public I vice to balance their books and report at once with au inventory of all property in their hands. Developments are auxiously looked for. Get Beady Old Men A circular has been received from the British Admiralty calling upon all marine pensioners under 55 years of age to hold themselves in readine-s for active service. The circular also requeats an immediate answer as to oge, whetlier the pensioner is ! a long-service one or is invnlided, vvhether a gunner or torpedo artiücer. and to state the nearest ship of war where he could attend for examination. Traveling i penses are to be ]aid by the British Government. Kor not cómjilying with the order the pensioner will ïorreit his j eion, and at the diseretion of the government may be arre-ted and punihed as a deserter. Only ono such circular has be -n issue 1 sinre the Crimean war. Considerable excitement has been caused among pensioners and their families. A Friest's $200,000 Verdict. Fitteen years ago Pather J. C. Jean. the priest of St. Irenea's paris, Lyons. lowa, u ed his own money and workt-d hard to buik) a Inrgestonechurch. hu was charged with being doininrering and Bishop nessy removed him. Pather Jean gozne months ago nfter several years' close ' plication in tbestudyof law books : menred suit againt Bishop Heiinessy for $'i(JU.ÜJO. At tliis term of court the case cume up and, the bishop not appenring, on i February 1 entry was made by Judge A. J. Leltingwell for n judgment for plaintiu for $'30K0.K). No motion forappenl has yet been made by the bishop's attorney, although li was there. Katlier Jean claimed the aaiountbecauseof injury tocharacter, and for being idle 15 years. Hother and Childreu Burned. Fire was seen burning from the store on a small isiouiMn the ht. Lawrence river near RocKport, Ont., the other night and the next evening partios visited the üiland and fouml thftt tlio Manie had been caused by the burning of a sinall wood.en dwelling oennpied by a family name lilliott. Nothing remaiued but a heap of ashes, from which the cliarred remaius of three human being were taken. The family consisted of 41r8. Elliott. her daughter aged 15 and her son aged about 12, and these are supSosed to have been the victims of the flie. o cause for the tire could be learned, and as all the victima were dresed th afl'aisei'ins mysterious. The Marriage by Froxy. Henry W. Spies, who married Miss Van Zandt as jiroxy for hi lirother August, the condemned anarchist, has been arrested on a charge of bigamy. Counsel for the anarcbists have intercsted themselves In the mater, and tliey claim the proxy mariiage is perfcctly legal; tbat it binda August only. and in uo way effects the groom-by-proxy. Interviews wlthpromlnent lawyers, however, elicited the almost unanimons oiúniou that the proxy ceremony was a rarce, and without any legal effect whatever. A Doutle Pardon, Orders wore recently received from Ottawa at the St. Vincent de Paul penitentiary to libérate Eugene Herbsrt who had served two out oí a four years term, Hiid was pardoned through the inteivention of friends. A few lays after the liberiitiiin it was discoveied that the wrong man had been let out. 'i'here were two Herberts in durance and the Herbert who had been pardoned was still inijirisoned. The orders from Uttuwa hid to be obeyed and accordiugly the second Herbert was 1 et free. The tirst one is still at liberty.