Political and Governmental Notes.

The Davis amendment to the Hay-Paunce-fote treaty, modifying the neutrality clause in the agreement regarding the Nicaraguan Canal project, to the extent of permitting the United States to fortify the entrances, was passed in the United States Senate December 13, by a vote of 65 to 17. On the following day other amendments were introduced which would cause the treaty to be rejected by Great Britain; and Senator Lodge and Senator Foraker served notice on the President that they would be adopted unless the treaty should be withdrawn. This the President refused to do.

The Washington correspondent of the Boston Herald outlines what he understands to be the programme that will be followed in regard to the Nicaraguan Canal proposition as follows: "The Hay-Pauncefote treaty will be transformed by amendments and then ratified by the Senate, and in its new shape will be rejected by Great Britain, after which the Senate will endeavor to secure the abrogation of the Clayton-Bulwer treaty, and will pass the Nicaraguan Canal Bill."

The treasury estimates of the provision necessary to be made by Congress to meet the expenses of the United States government for 1901-2 are as follows: Agriculture, $4,669,050; army, $113,019,044; diplomatic and consular, $1,897,638; District of Columbia, $9,080,703; fortifications, $12,461,103; Indian, $9,250,571; legislative, etc., $25,399,509; military academy, $1,045,750; navy, $87,172,430; pensions, $145,245,230; post-office, $121,267,349; river and harbor, $25,130,000; sundry civil, $63,378,113; permanent annual appropriations, $124,358,220; total, $743,374,800.

Edward Erskine has written an article on the yearly cost of the government of New York City. He says that the tax budget for 1901 is one hundred million dollars, which is double the cost of the government of Mexico with its fifteen million inhabitants, including the cost of Mexico's army and navy; a third the cost of the government of the German Empire, having a population of fifty-two million, including the support of its immense army, great navy, railroads, etc., and a quarter the cost of governing the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

A bill to establish a National military park at Valley Forge. Pa., has been introduced in the House by Mr. McAleer of Pennsylvania. The bill authorizes the President to appoint ten commissioners, who shall locate definitely the territory occupied by General Washington as a camping ground at Valley Forge, and appropriates $200,000 for acquiring and improving the territory so located.

The annual report of Postmaster General Smith shows that there were 7,129,990,202 pieces of mail matter of all kinds handled in our post-offices during the year. These were divided as follows: Letters, paid and free, 3,309,754,607; postal cards, 587,815,250; newspapers and periodicals, known as secondclass matter, 2,356,698,377; third and fourth class matter, 875,721,968.

The centennial anniversary of the establishment of the seat of government in the District of Columbia was celebrated in Washington, Wednesday, December 12. A joint session of the two houses of Congress was held at which patriotic speeches were made and the President received the governors of the states and territories at the White House.

Admiral Dewey's flagship, which led the squadron to victory in the battle of Manila Bay, and which is now at the Charlestown Navy Yard undergoing extensive repairs, is to have a figure-head commemorative of her part in the great achievement of May 1, 1898. The ornament will be a reproduction in bronze of the classic stature, "The Winged Victory."

Charles A. Towne, who was nominated for the vice-presidency by the Populist National Convention last summer, and who afterwards withdrew in favor of Stevenson, has been appointed by the Governor of Minnesota to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate. Senator Towne took his seat December 10.

The first of the great supply bills, the legislative, executive, and judicial appropriation bill, was passed by the House December 10. The bill carries $24,496,408 and has 131 pages, but there was less than ten minutes' debate upon it.

Foreign News.

The newspapers of December 15 published a report obtained from Chinese sources, declared to be credible, that Emperor Kwang Su will agree to the following demands: Indemnity to the amount of 700,000,000 taels, payable within sixty years; the erection of a monument in Pekin to the memory of Baron von Ketteler; that an imperial prince go to Berlin to apologize; that foreign troops hold the lines of communication between Taku and Pekin; punishment of the Boxers; abolition of the tsung-li-yamen; that foreign envoys have access to the Emperor at all times; that the importation of arms into the province of Chili be abolished; that the land and sea forts between Taku and Pekin be destroyed.

After nearly all the powers had authorized their representatives in Pekin to sign the agreement as to the demands to be submitted to the Chinese government, Great Britain and Germany suggested one or two changes in the phraseology of the agreement, which, however, made no essential change in the meaning, and the United States authorized Minister Conger to sign the agreement as thus amended. It is believed that the other powers will take the same course.

The French Chamber of Deputies on December 10, unanimously passed a resolution calling upon the government to prohibit the manufacture and sale of absinthe in France. The mover of the resolution said. "The increase of consumption of absinthe marches arm in arm with the increase of cases of drivelling insanity, which will end by becoming a national malady."

The British secretary of state for war, on December 11, introduced in the House of Commons supplementary estimates of eighty million dollars for the army, which it is anticipated will be needed to bring the military operations in South Africa to a close. The estimates were adopted with but eight votes opposed.

The Dutch foreign minister, in an interview with Ex-President Kruger at The Hague on December 11, communicated the decision of the government not to take the initiative in behalf of arbitration between the Boer republics and Great Britain.

General Wood has authorized a credit of one hundred thousand dollars for the payment on cattle which have been contracted for in Mexico and which will be taken to Cuba and distributed at as early date as possible.

Lord Roberts and his wife and daughter sailed from Cape Town December 11. On his arrival in England he will assume the post of commander-in-chief of the British army.

A Johannesburg dispatch says the town has been fenced around with barbed wire, to prevent the inhabitants from getting food to the Boers.

President Diaz of Mexico has just been inaugurated for the sixth term as ruler of Mexico.

Industry and Commerce.

J. Pierpont Morgan & Co., the great banking house of New York, made the announcement on December 13 that the firm had acquired the stock of the Pennsylvania Coal Company, paying therefor 752 per cent of par. As the capital stock of the company is $5,000,000 the amount involved in the transaction is $37,000,000. Taken in connection with other changes in the anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania, this deal is thought to be a certain indication that the Morgan interests will soon control the whole output.

The steel rail pool to December 13 had booked orders aggregating 1,000,000 tons of rails. The last to come in was an order for 80,000 tons from the New York Central. The orders for rails are said to be larger this year than at the close of 1898 or 1899.

It is estimated that the Florida orange crop this year will be 870,000 boxes. The young groves are in excellent condition.

General News.

In a recent article A. R. Colquhoun shows that Siberia has made most rapid strides in population and development of its natural resources during the past ten years than possibly any other territory of similar character on the globe. It is not an arctic wilderness, as generally imagined, but a stretch of rich, virgin country from three to four hundred miles one way, but from two to three thousand miles the other, very similar to the northern half of the United States and the southern half of Canada.

In seven years, 1893-1899, nearly nineteen million acres of public land were transformed into farms, of which five-sevenths are now occupied. Since 1887 more than one million immigrants have settled in Siberia, and the business of the Siberian railway has increased enormously.

The London Daily Mail describes a phonograph, invented recently by Horace L. Short, which can be heard distinctly ten miles off. Experiments were made at Brighton, where the inventor has his workshops, and, the Mail says, "At a distance of ten miles the sounds were heard by a number of people, every word being perfectly distinct. It was found that an unknown message could be taken down in short hand at a distance of twelve miles, and over the water the sound would carry still farther. It is proposed to place them on lighthouses and lightships to give verbal warning.

Dr. A. Donaldson Smith of Philadelphia has returned from his second exploring trip into the interior of Africa. He penetrated three thousand miles into the interior of the dark continent, and claims to have passed through regions never before trodden by civilized man, and that he encountered many strange tribes, most of whom had never seen a white man.

The Mennonite brethren of Kansas will go into the banking business to raise money for their missionary fund. Their bank will have a capital of fifty thousand dollars, to be subscribed by members of the church. A small percentage of the profits will go to the stockholders and the remainder will be devoted to the missionary fund.