Sacramento Daily Union, Volume 35, Number 5430, 21 August 1868 — LETTER FROM NEW YORK. [ARTICLE]

LETTER FROM NEW YORK.

[from ouk special correspondent.] New York, August sth. Dciitn of lilies O'lltiliy. The community was startled on Monday evening by the announcement of the sudden death of Charles G. Halpine, the City Register, better known as " Miles O'Reilly." The day had been an exceedingly warm one, and his death was set down as another of the long list of mortality cases caused by the excessive heat. But it would appear that his death was caused by an overdose of chloroform, taken to mitigate the sufferings brought on, the newspapers say, by tbe weather. The truth may as well be told, that intemperate habits were the indirect if not the immediate cause of his death. Of course, in deference to the widow and fatherless children this fact is kept out of the daily journals. | Halpine leaves a young wife and six minor children. lie was held in great esteem by his large circle of personal friends in this city, and his connection with the city press has been of great advantage to him in augmenting the popularity . which the name of Miles O'Reilly had acquired. ; His undoubted genius bad secured lor his writings, particularly his poems, the admiration of a large class ot readers. The books which lie had published were not, however, successful, j His greatest success had been in politics. His election to the office ot City Register was very shrewdly managed, thf- adroit Miles contriving ! to draw oil" from both parties a respectable support and to enlist the sympathy ot his country- ' men by bis championship of the cause of hi h nationality, and his real or simulated opposition I to the corruption in public office. He professed to be a Union Democrat with strong Republican tendencies, but after his election he fell into line ! with the regular Democratic part., and recent Iv j disappointed many of bis friends by yielding ! the support of his paper (the Citizen) to Seymour aud Blair. Halpine was the author of thai poem addressed to the American Flag for which tjreeiey and the Tribune have been so roundly abused, and which was published just before the war commenced. Tear down the flaunting lie. His last poem was written and delivered by himself in person on Wednesday, a week ago, at the meeting of the friends and survivors of the Sixty-ninth Regiment for the purpose of organizing a movement to erect a monument to Corcoran and other Irish soldiers who served in the late war. From the different obituary sketches which appear in all the papers, 1 extract the following: General Ualpine was born in November, 1829 in county Meatb, near Dublin, Ireland. His father, a minister ot the Established Church, and at various times a mathematical teacher in Dublin, editor ot the Dublin Mail, ami one of the principal contributors to Black-wood?* Magasine, took great pride in the education of his son, whom he prepared for and entered at Trinity College in 1846. In the tallowing year young Halpine, haying married, removed to Boston, where he became an associate of B. P. Shillaber (Mrs. Partington) on one of the literary papers of that city, and subsequently connected himself with the Pilot. In 184S he accepted the position of French translator on the New York Herald, and while holding this position wro c sketches, poems and editorials for nearly all the other leading daily and weekly papers of the city. About a year alter his arrival in New York he published a volume called "Poems by the Letter H," which attracted but little attention. He was next appointed tbe Nicaragua correspondent of the New York Times, and wrote a series of remarkable, spicy letters on Walker's famous filibustering expedition to Central America, and alter acting as Washington correspondent of that paper, and also as associate e;i;;,,r for a time, ho purchased an interest in the Leader, then managed by John Clancy, and assisted in editing that journal until the breaking out of the rebellion. General Jfalpine was always a hard worker. While doing nio-t of th* editorial duty upon the Leader, he also wrote for the Tribune, Times and the Herald. In 1861 General Halpine severed his connection with the Leader and entered the military service as a private in the Sixty ninth .New York Regiment of three-months' troops; was soon marie secretary to {he General commanding the brigade to* winch bis tegimanj: was assigned, and at the close of the three-month's service was appointed Major and Assistant Adjutant General on tbe st.il of General David Hunter, whom he served In Missouri until the assignment ot that officer to the Department of the Carnlinas. Here Major Halpine made himself fully acquainted with the duties of his «,!ii^e ; and before he left the army proved himself to be P^e of the most efficient officers in the service. He was next transferred to the staff of Major General Halleck, whose heaiquarters were it» Washington, and from whom be received more than one well deserved mention in his reports to the Secretary of War. The norn de guerre, *t Miles O'Reilly," was assumed by Major Halpine in a communication written trum the South to a New York paper. It was a long and entirely fictitious account of the arbitrary imprisonment of a private of Unit name who, as it was need, had given some slight offense to General Butler. The He' old says ot the connection of the deceased with that paper: "He soon after his arrival became attached to the leading journal of the metropolis, with which he was more or less intimately connected up to the hour or his death, Bis litcrarv etlorts, however, were not wholly confined to* this journal. He in a tew mouths became the correspondent of many daily and hebdomedal publications outside of tho metropolis. And it may be stated his pen was made to touch upon ail subjects, whether literary or political. As a translator of the con 7 tinental languages he was employed by "one pa per, while for another he discussed in a masterly manner leading general and local political questions of the day, and at the same, he would prepare a severe criticism on some pro* fessional subject for a monthly, and then turn his attention to a pathetic poem or rollicking song for one weekly, v.lne lor another he would illustrate his" columns with a stirring story founded on some legend or historical statement." ihe Sun states : " Yesterday, when ' Uncle Horace,' as he was fondly wont to speak of Greelev, heard of the untimely death ot 'the boy Miles,' he was melted to tears— tears that aid ..... >,1.1 rataran isbnite credit, Another personal friend seal to John Y." Savage a check tor *1,000 for the benefit of "General Halpine' a family." Although the office of City Register is worth some thirty] or forty thousand dollars a year, srjd the Citizen, is a paying paper, it does not appear that llajpitu? leches a fjompefeni support for ins family. It is undoubtedly true, as intimated more than once in the notices ot his he was improvident as well as imprudent. Wh'ti lie nseuiuad the office of Register he was largely in debt. An effort is now tjeinur made iv induce Governor Fenton not to appoin: any of the numerous applicants who rushed up to Albany almost betase the body of the unfortunate Miles was cold, but to reserve tbe salary and perquisites Of he unexpired term for the benefit 01 his tauitlv, it j'eiitoi* is wise he will do this, for political as well as humane oonsid* erations Dictate that be should yield to the wish of the personal friends of Haloine in this respegt, Both the Tribune and the Herald are in favor of a. JJigccllaocons. The weather this wees has been quite endurable, although it opened with every promise of another fiery visitation. The cholera has postponed its coming, and the Health Board say the city is in a much better sanitary condition than before the late heavy rains. The Nicolson pavement, so much in favor in California, cannot gain the confidence of capitalists here, although the traveling public, no own no property in its vicinity to be improved •or injured by changes in the pavement, are generally in favor of tbe easy going ways of the wooden men. Several large property owners, m. B. Astor among the number, have commenced suits against the city to restrain the authorities from substituting the wooden tor the stone pavement. Rev. Stephen H. Tvng, Jr., has taken to tent preaching, and Chauncey Scbaffer, the wellknown lawyer, is delivering sermons in Lefferts' Park, Brooklyn. On Sunday last (day before yesterday) young Tyng preached in a tent on Fifth avenue, between Seventy-second and Sev-enty-third streets, under the auspices of the City Mission (Episcopal). The Tyng patty are making a struggle to lead the other denominations, as well as their own Church, in planting missions and getting possession of the field in the upper and eastern portion of this island, including the ancient villages of Harlem and Yorkville. There are two or three chapels under the jurisdiction of young 'yng above Eightieth street. Chauncey Schafler is a Methodist, and his sermon on Sunday was on the sins of great cities, and attracted a large audience. Another Murder on Saturday Sight. A German named Carson Setbman, employed in a sugar house, was murdered" and thrown into the Morris C inal, at Bergen City, by parties unknown. His body was found the next morning with marks of violenoo upon the head, and the evidence taken would seem to show £ai he was attacked and j robbed jby two men and probably thrown into the water. No clue to the perpetrators of the act has been discoveredAjax. The sales of shoes in Lynn, Swampscott and Nabant, for three months lately. exceed in i amount $4,000,000. V - i

The New California Theater. — The San Francisco Alia of August 19th has the following in this connection : : The large lot on the north side of Bush street, above Kearnv, which is to be covered by too new California Theater, was stripped of the old structures which had encumbered it a week since, and the foundation walls of the great temple ot the drama are now nearly, completed. One must look at the work in progress to gain an adequate idea of the grand proportions of the structure and the solidity and durability of the work. The side walls are three feet in thicicness — the thickest to be found in any building \et erected in San Francisco, we believe — and every precaution is being taken to in ike them proof against destruction, or injury by any casualty or convulsion of nature which may occur. Ihe plan of the building is such thai, in case of fire or other cause of alarm, the largest audience could all be outside within three minutes. More full description ot the building will be given as the work progresses. i We examined at the studio of Nab] brothers, on Montgomery street, yesterday, the design for the drop curtain drawn by these talented .ir- i tists, which is a gem of ait in itself, does credit ■ to the taste of the projectors ot the California and will form one of the most brilliant and at- | tractive features of the theater. In size, this ; curtain will be forty by forty-five teet, ani the entire surface will "be covered with vignettes illustrating the natural scenery and great events j ; IB the history of California, a number of origij nal allegorical designs and groupings, with scroll work and other elaborate ornamentation. , The ccutial vignette is a view of the Golden { Gate looking outward from Russian Hill, showing Fort Point and Point Bonito, With the Pai cine Ocean in the background. On the left of ; this is an allegorical figure of Terpsicnore; on ; the right, a figure illustrative of fair? life. At the top of the curtain is a full length figure of Shakj-peare, seated with a volume open on bis I knee and being crowned by the Muses, below, | on the left, is a view ot the great la 1 of the Yoi semite, and on the riaht tne Big Tree Grove of Cabreras. At the bott' m the center vignette represents a California scene, a raquero lassoing wild cattle — very spirited and faithful sketch; in toe right corner, a view of Suiter's Fcrt: in the left, the first through train on the Pacific Railroad crossing the Sierra Nevada. The cold leaf alone required to finish up this curtain will cost §385, and an immense amount ot' work will be required to complete the d' sign as sketched by Xahl and adapted by Peters and his associates. Virginia, Nevada. — The Trespass of August 19th has the following ; The lone mill, at the Devil's Gate, was recently robbed of about $800 worth of amalgam. Suspicion tell on o-e B. Filto, a French Canadian, and a warrant was sworn out and placed in the hands of Constable Ash and Deputy Lackey of this city, who this morning arrested the accused and brought him to the city prison. The amalgam was not found, but on searching the man's cabin the officers found a new telt hat, which o .neighbor of Filto's had recently purchased in this city, and which mysteriously disappeared soon alter being carried home. Filto will have an examination before Justice Adkison this aiterncon. The annexed item is from the Enterprise of August 20th : Judge A. W. Baldwin, Samuel Stewart (brother of Senator Stewart), Russel! (of the firm of Russell & Crow), and other gentlemen of this city nd Gold Hill, ore engaged in working a series of very rich leads situated in the Pyramid Lake country, and about six miles from the Central Pacific Railroad. The leads were discovered by one Brown, and! are likely to prove immensely valuable, ' hey have located several parallel leads, the largest of which— supposed to be the "mother vein" of the group — twenty-five feet in width. Three lots c:.'" or v from these veins have been worked at the Mart p'osa mill in this city, and the lowest yield was $40 per ton, while the highest (a lot from the mother vein) was over $200 The ore yields about an equal value per ton of gold and silver, but silver will probably predominate when the water level is n-.acbed. The company have sent five miners to develop their leads, with a supp'y of mining stores and provisions for five months. Flagg, of Gold Hill, is President of the company. __^ Remarkable Tidal Phenomenon.— fol[gWing letter appears in an extra from the office of the Los Angeles Star; Wilmington, August 14, 18G8. Mr. Hamilton— Sir: A most remarkable tidal phenomenon has been observable here all day. At about 7 o'clock thu morning the tide was observed to be running in with unusual velocity for about fifteen minutes, and then to suddenly turn and run out for about the same length of ;i;::c, with, the same unexampled rapidity. It is now 0 o'clock iti the ovauing, aaj tha same running in and running out, at intervals of from fifteen to twentv-flvo minutes for each direction, has been going on since it was first observed this morning. Captain Polhemus, of the steamer Cricket, informs me that in crossing the bar today lie observed the water to fall five feet in eight minute, aud to jmmediatelf rise the same number of feet in the same space of tune. Half-past 11 o'clock this forenoon was the hour, according to established custom, for dead low water, but at that houi the water at the end of the wharf was but six inches below high water mark. Another unexplainable peculiarity of this never-before-heard of tidal freak is, 'that the water from the sea would run an one side of the channel and do/H/fl tho other side at the same time. This 1 saw, myself, as did many others. This is written hastily. Should this novel exhibition continue, I will" take notes and write you again. Look out for reports of earthfjuases, hurricanes and water, and ground and lofty tumbling OB a grand seaietrom some quarter. Truly, jours, £, E. Hewitt. Cahson News.— The Appeal of August 15th has these items; A fire occurred yesterday about 6 o'clock p. m., which nearly destroyed the dwellinghouse occupied by John Cavell and fanily. The building thus burned is situated in the northern part of the town, just south of the residence of Judge Lewis. The fire was first discovered where a stove-pipe passed oat from the kitchen. An energetic but ineffectual attempt was made to extinguish the fire by passing water in pails before the arrival of the engines. Considering the distance they had }■ run. the firemen were promptly on hand, but before their 'arrival the "entire root was in (limits. The furniture was mostly saved. Tte wails are standing, but of course are of little value. Judge Pitzer, and Daniels, of the International Saloon, both of "Virginia, while on their way to Carson \ oterdny met with on accident wherthy the Judge was precipitated over the dash-board of the buggy and considerably bruised about the face and' shoulders. Brutal Conduct.— The Contra, Costa Gazette of August 15th relates the following: We hebr that a saloon keeper at Walnut Creek, named Campbell, after having in a manner, grossly insulting to the speaker and the audience, composed largely of ladies, interrupted "'Ned Buntline's" temperance lecture at that place, on Monday evening last, returned to his saloon and made a ferocious assault upon 0 man named Cristie, then much under the influence of drink, knocking him do*rn, kicking grjd jumping upon him while prostrate, and in. alcting severe ' injuries, with' whioh he is noT ■nflerlng under medical care. The provocation to this assault is said to have been only Crfst;e's declaration of intention to break away from the habit of drinking and join the Good Templars, Campbell was arrested on charge of the assault, but we have not learned the result of his examination. Silver Peak, Nevada.— The Baltimore Champion of August 12th has the following : The mines of Silver Peak District are now being worked successfully, and will unquestionably soon be among the best paying mines in ! the State. The mills are now running and doing I good work. We learn that the Silver Peak ) Company will make a shipment in a few days of $100,000. Professor Clapton's new improved j crusher, which is being worked at this place, is j said to be a complete success in all for whioh it j was recommended or expected to accomplish, I This district has long been regarded by all who have seen and examined the mines as one of the richest in the State, and from personal observation of the mines we are forced to the conclu- ■ sion that they will prove to be rich. In speak- * ing ot Silver Peak we mean to include the Red Mountain District, which is now controlled by . the same company.

AcAtsiiT or Soiekcm.— At a lat» ueetiug of the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, J. Silver, H. S. Craven and C. L. Hougbton were elected members. Tlie Times reports the transactions as follows: Dr. Stout described an unusually large specimen of an octopus or cuttle fish, the identical "dovil fish" who inhabited Victor Hugo's horrible submarine cave in the "Toilers of the Sea." This specimen, which the Doctor obtained from some fishermen, was caupht at the Farallone Islands. It measures eleven feet across. The Doctor described the manner of taking the monster, who seized the boat of the fisherman who captured him. Dr. Gibbons presented a very pure specimen of black oxvdc of manganese, of which a laree quantity is being shipped through this port to London from a mine in Calaveras county. it diflers materially from that found at Red Kock, in this harbor. Dr. Kellogg stated that thousands of tons of this rock may bo gathered nt Bolinas Bay, at a point whence it can be easily snipped. Dr. Stout remarked that black oxyde of maganese exists within eight miles ol this city, in San Francisco Bay, and that a company is being formed to mine and export it. A very interesting account of Eureka Bay and vicinity, a region he has lately visited and examined, was given by Dr. Bolandcr. Ho made the rather startling announcement that Eureka Bay is perceptibly tilling; up, and that small islands are gradually rising above the surface of the water. Vessels are oblitred to await high tide to cuter tho bay and to move about when inside. It is to be perceived that at no distant time it will be filled up. Fogs prevail on and about the bay. The soil in the vicinity is poor, and the land in many places unfit for cultivation. Small ferns grow luxuriantly and kill out the grasses and nearly everything else. Ten miles up the bay, above Eureka, is the town of Arcade, whero the best potatoes are raised. The principal topic here for six months in the year is the price of lumber, and lor the other six— potatoes, these two articles being the chief source of support for tho inhabitants. The speaker described immense redwood trees as especially abundant on the banks of Little river. One is no mean rival of the big trees "of ilariposa and Calaveras counties, for it measures twenty-five feet in diameter. He alluded to vast redwood forests in Alcndocino county, ■where the depletion caused by sawmills for years has produced no perceptible diminution. Jiocks and stones aro at a premium on and about EureKa Bay, so much so that the debris froai Tole^raijh Hill, in this city, carried there as ballast tor small crafts, is used for building ..purposes. In the language of the speaker, "there are not stones enough, to throw at the birds. With a graphic description of the freshets in the bay by which the chained lumber is carried out to sea, and tho scenery and general features of the country, the Doctor concluded aud the meeting adjourned. Condition of Chicago. — The sanitary condition of Chicago is most fearful, if the following article from the Chicago Post may be believed, and we see no reason for doubting its accuracy: The people of the city are in doubt on this question : Does the condition of Chicago river reflect most disgrace upon the civilization of the people, or upon the administrative capacity of the Board of Public Works We do not furnish the answer ; wo only state tho facts, nero 13 a city of three hundred thousand people, with an open ditch in its very heart that is m as foul ana* pestilential condition as such a body of water can be. Ugh! how it smells 1 Faugh! how it looks! What a prolific source of disease ! What a fruitful cause of death ! Promonitions here and elsewhere in tbo country tell us that the danger of a cholera epidemic is imminent. We know that the death rate is already large, and that but slight additional causes would make it immense. Yet, though care of the public health is tho first and highest duty of tho.-*e who govern us, there that seething mass lies and stinks, The blood of the slaughterhouses, the sewage of the sewers, the waste of the distilleries, and the sur ace drainage of the •whole area of a city proverbially foul, compose the contents of that open drain. The evaporation under the fervid sun makes the whole thick and stale; it is black and rich; it bubbles with the trases of vegetable and animal decomposition; it is suggestive of death. On the scum of the surface, when it ia broken by the moving of vessels, one sees etchings of coffins, of funeral processions, of dead children of weeping mothers. Yet a few day 3 pumping at Bridgeport would remove the poisonous compound, bring in fresh water lrom the lake, and inako all sweet and healthful again. Wbo can tell us where the fault is that the pumping is not done ? Who if willing to take the responsibility for tho continuance of tuis unbearable nuisance, and of one hundred deaths a week as tuts cousequeuco thereof? Point out the man or tne men. Decent people who believe in cleanliness want to see him or them.