Letter tfm Mr. 1 lHUyMM. K, IiEiWTn: I see in the last issue of the nKGIKTKB ft com munkstiun from brother Newsom, ofMarion coHfnty, to which I shall reply briefly. I am' very sorry to know that brother Newsom is of fended because I took notice of his chanter of items. I had no inten tion whatever to be sarcastic or ironical, or bitterly severe. I think if friend Newsom will read mv letter again, he will come to a very differ eiit conclusion." 1 was very well pleased with -Mr. .Ncwsom's chap terof items, until I came to drain ing, where ho advises the farmers of Linn to sell one-half of tlreir land and use oi.c-tiaf of the proceeds to draining thoroughly, and the other half toward) substantial improve ments. Now here I thought that friend Newsom was not aware of the cost of under-draining in Ore gon. Now, I simply asked Mr. New som it he ever had done mtich drain mg in Oregon, or if he' Imd ever counted ttevoft of draining one acre of laud. Now, 1 think friend Newsom ought not to have got of fended at such a question as this. Mr. N. says that I wanted him to toll me how ditching ought to be done, and if he knew ever so well, he should not impart that informa tion under caricature. Well, I am naturally a caricaturist, and I would be willing to imparl any information desired on ditching or under-draining to any one who wanted inform ation. l!ut, friend Xewsom, I have never asked of yon any information, neither how ditching nor under draining ought to be done. 1 have been taught tlrt thoroughly, from a child up. I have seen all sovts ot ditching and all sorts of under draining done to perfection. Now, friend Newsom, I want you to come back again to Limb county, and see us, aud stroll about just as much as you please ; and come and see me, also. I will make you very welcome, and what you don't know about ditching and under-draining I will tell you. Yo't have always spoken in glowing terms of Linn county, of our leautiful land, of our central location, of our enterprising people, of our morals and religion, of our educational aud manufacturing enterprises, and when you have said so, you have only told the truth, fin- we are a mighty people, and old Linn is a great country. JAMES ITNLAYSON. F.wUa of the l'rei Mixl .- of Astntn inent. The Governor of Minnesota, in his message to the Legislature of that State, made mention of an evil in the system of assessing prop erty there, which corresiouds ex actly with an evil which exists in Oregon. He showed that, to be gin with, the prevailing standards of valuation arc absurdly and uni versally false, and criminally viola tive of the requirements of the law. lu every town and county the ap praisement of property by the As sessors tor purpose of taxation is but a fraction, as regards the aggregate return, of the real value, probably not averaging one-third of the real value. Mote than that the standard of valuation is different in different counties, each one doing its best, because every other does its best, to lower its aggregate valua tion in order to escajie a ortion of the State tax. The result is a con stant tendency to a reduced valua tion aud general inequalities as be tween counties upon which there is no check at all adequate to the correction jf the evil. The essential vice of the system of assessing property in Oregon could not be moro clearly stated than in the above presentation. We have done our best to urge upon the Legislature during its last two sessions the nccsssity of providing a remedy. Hut in the heat of party legislation the matter has been neg lected., We shall still urge it,and we trust that a Legislature may lie chosen this year which will give the subject due attention. There is no subject which more urgently re quires it. Oregon ian. An exchange says that ten mill wii (Wi corseto were imported into the United States last year. This is only ;t,bffe cents apiece for every man, woman and child in the .tmr men and chUdren, aboutfen 'forcYbWAjOfltf cau woman. Tlie barber, 1 loppy, who com mitted the rape on the little girl in Portland last week, is coming the insane dodge. Rev. 11. K. I lines intends to write the life of Rev. Jason Lee, the pioneer missionary, and appals to everybody having material tbrsueh a work to forward it to him at Walla Walla, W. T. Mr. W. Pope and ife, ot Oiegou City, celebrated their wooden wed ding last week. The Multnomah Medical Society numbers twelve members. Klamath Lake couutry has had a very miM winter, and stock has fared well. Coos Hay denizens arc agitating the project of, building a railroad from San Francisco via the Hay to tlie Columbia river. Ilcnry Kiinpel, of Jackson county, is repirtcd as one o numerous Democratic aspirants for Congress. Douglas county has a Democrat who aspires to Congressional hon ors. Religious services were still be ing held . in the Metlibdist and Kvangelical churches in Salem last week. James Ilurd, of Jacksonville, has sent to the patent office a model ot a railroad brake. The invention is to be attached to the old brakes, and is applied by drawing a cord which runs through the entire train. 1 hiring a dispute at Florea, Utah, on the 13th, George Williams drew a pistol and shot J. Cunnington in the head. Cunnington' returned the fire, hitting Williams in the breast, killing him instantly. The Japanese Kmbassy prefer re maining at Salt Lake until the blockade opens, rather, than return and go by steamer. Ckvk county, W. T.,owes $26,- 000, which is more than the debt of the Territory. Gen. Ilalleck's will appoints his wife executrix and guardian of their son. 1 le desires his mother shall have free use of his old homestead in Oneida county, X. Y., during her life, and be paid $5,000 from his estate. All else goes to the widow and son. Egbert Millikin, toll-gate keeper near San Francisco, took strychnine as an antidote for whisky, but the prompt application of remedies saved his life. Most of the woolen mills of Cal ifornia are running on full time,aud their fabrics find a ready sale. " A four-cornered square box standing on a three-legged tripod which always ioints to the north," was the definition of a mariner's compass, given by a student in mathematics at Willamette Univer sity, not long since. A revenue vessel will be con structed for Puget Sound at an early day. Snow about Idaho City is from four to live feet deep. Delegate Claggett, of Montana, is carrying out the spirit of the civil service reform, in submitting the recommendations of candidates for the vacant cadelship at West Point to a committee of gentlemen of his 7erritory. An Olympia paper says that Se attle is making rapid strides in the direction of progression. An alien law has been passed by tlie Montana Legislature, which provides that "no alien shall be al lowed to acquire any title, interest or tossossory, or other right to any placer mine or claim, orto the prof its of the proceeds thereof, in this Territory." It permits aliens to hold and work claims after declar ing their intentions to Ixscome citi zens of the I'nited States. The law docs not effect any alien inter est acquired before its passage. The blockade was broken on the HUh, and trains were moving for their destinations. Tlie Union Pncilie Railroad has expended $20,000 per day in trying to open tlie road. "Cotton-seed whisky" is the very latest name for it The time tor planting shade trees "have arroven." The city council of Portland has voted $500 for tlie Portland Library. W. C. Meyer has returned from the Fast to Jackson comity with a lot of fine stock. Mr. if. S. Hart, contractor, has absquatulated from Portland, carry ing away some $6,000, which ought to have lieen paid to his creditors. A nice young man in Eugene City is to receive a watch from a lady at the expiration of oiie year's total altstincnce from the use of toliacco. A watch valued from WOO to $500 wiJL engage the en tire force ot the Guard office to take a similar pledge. The news of tlie ojicnitig of the Union Pacific rtfrfroad caused -much rejoicing in San Francisco. Orders have been received to pift the Northern Pacific railroad through from Kalama toOlympia by the first of November next Maurice Graves was arrested in Eugene and. taken to Salem, for forgery. Abraham Land was arrested in Eugene on a charge of forgery, says the Guard, ai d bound over in the sum of $500, in default of which he went to jail. Eggs are thirty cents per dozen at Eugene City., t A four horse load of potatoes went off last week at Corvallis.like "hot cakes," at $1 75 per bushel, says the Gazette. Two births iA Kalama last week. The Common Council talk of or ganizing another) ward. . The following new Post-offices have been recently established : Klaskamine, Columbia county ; Fair Grounds, Marion county ; Norton, Clackamas county ; Sum mer House, Clatsop county ; Isth mus, Coos county ; Hot Springs, Jackson county ; Langell Yalley, Jackson county ; Linkville, Jack son county; Yauax, Jackson coun ty ; Cornelius, Washington county; Woodbnrn, Marion county. Salem shipped seventy tons of rlour to Portland last week. ' The roll of the Oregon Pioneers at Astoria now contains one hun dred names. The Democrats are rexrted as boarding eight men at Wheatland to reduce the Republican majority at the next election. In the skating rink at Spring field, Willie Pengra and Johnnie Kelly, in a scuffle resulting from a quarrel, both tumbled out of tlie second story window to the ground, breaking an arm or so. The Eugene Journal anticipates the establishment of a bank in that city bearing the "Scriptural name," Faro. Quite a number of Democrats in Lane county are seeking the nomi nation for clerk. All the rest want to be Sheriff. The finances ot Eugene are look ing up, as the tines for drunks, etc, are coming in lively. They think of starting a grave yard at Kalama, so soon as some body dies. r Tlie assessment ot Washington Territory will not . fall below $14, 000,000, and four mills on that amount will give ,$59,000 as the tax fortius year. Pembina, instead of Ojibway, is to be the name of the new Territory. $100 per ton has been offered for hay at Vancouver, and can't get it at that, says the Register, The public school has been closed atXanaimd, R C, and three bun dred children have been left to street education. It is in contemplation to estab lish a line of vessels between San Francisco and Seattle to accommo date the merchants in the matter of sure freight, at lower rates than has beeu heretofore the case. The Sacramento Union com pares the growth ot California with that of Kansas, and shows that the latter has largely distanced the former, owing to its greater accessi- bility from Atlantic States. Oregon City is to liave a fire Department election next Monday. It is reported that one hundred and forty-two arrests were made in Portland during last January, within eight of tlie number made in San Francisco during the same period. - John Bryon of San Francisco has sued the Omnibus Railway Com pany) for $50,000 damages for kil ling 'his SQU. Peter Quick and wife sues S. J, Chadburii for $25,000 for injuries received by Mrs. Quick ly being run oH er by defendant's wagon. AH of San Francisco. Tlie mills at Corvallishave lost some logs and lumber by the pres ent freshet. J. M. Murphy, late local reporter ori the Portland Hwahl, was tried lost Monday in the Circuit Court on the charge of assault witb a dangerous weapon, ami was ac quitted, the jury being out bnt a few minutes, says Omjonian. William Pickett, at one time editor Of the Commercial in Port land, has been elected Recorder of lama."v, MwMana' contains 23,000,000 acuwof agricultural lauds, 12,000, 000 of timljcr lands aud 79,000,000 acres of grazing lands. But few cattle have died in Mon tana. At least ten thousand cattle and horses have died in Wyoming in the Vicinity of Laramie. The total rain fall for the season at Sftn Francisco has been nearly twenty-nine inches. Carrie Stanley of San Francisco, a beautiful and well educated wom an, who left her husband and went on 'he town three years since, drop ped dead upon a street of- that city recently from the effects of poisoned whisky. One of the mow bounders named Danoughs, who is said to have left New York a jwwerful man in fiill health, was so worn down and ex hausted when the train arrived at San Francisco on the 19th, that it was found necessary to cany him to the Lick House in men's aims. lie appears to be in the last stages of consumption. The Roseburg I'laindealer says that ou the morning of the 12th, tlie house of J. C. Scraggs on Sugar Pine mountain, was destroyed by fire;' 'Uss $400, including $145 in greenbacks. Also, Mr. J. D. Bowen, of Roseburg, on the 10th, was knock ed down and partially stunned by a ctyb in the hands of a man who intended to rob him. His cries for help, brought assistance before the robbery was accomplished, and the thief fled. There were ten cases of small pox at Eureka, Nevada, on the 8th. ' Eight inches more rain has fal len this season in San Francisco than in Sacramento. The Santa Cruz mountains are full of land slides, many of them of vast dimensions. There are 120 pupils in the Cali fornia State Normal School. Sail Francisco exported 95,354 bull, of Hour to China last year, tlie largest quantity sent to any port. At Virgiuia City on the 5th inst., a man, named Williams commit ted an outrage upon a little girl five yea?8qfage. Her injuries were such as to imperil her life. The inhuman wretch was arrested. The Sa Francisco Chron'wk has comd opt victorious in fourteen li bel snta. aau Joao, Cal., had a beet on the 5th 'inst. weighing 170 pounds. Only forty-seven marriages occur- red in San Luis Obispo, Cal., last year. - , Tlie Nevada Ice Company has stored ten thousand tons of that cooling commodity. Ore from the Silver ledges of the Vipond district, Montana, are said to assay $200 per ton. Joaquin Miller lectured in San Francisco on the 7th. His subject was "Literary London." The Chronicle pronounces it the best lecture of the season. . Almond trees are being exten sively pouted in Oakland, Cal. tlferruigJiave been caught in Salt Recently a Miss Alfred Daltou of Beuicia, Cal., committed suicide by taking strychnine. Previous to committing the rash act, she cleaned up her house and put it in perfect order, then dressed herself iu clean, nice apparel, and laid down on tlie ! bed in pror shape for burial. She j then took the poison ami died. Her j funeral took ulace on Friday. She leaves a husband ami six children. The cause of her self-destruction is not known. The Los Angles Star hoists the namq of General W infield S. Han cock for the Presidency. A Carson family were recently afflicted with hog.pox a variety of small-pox imported from Germany. Salt Lake City is to have a new daily paper. How thk. Bovs Snowballed Alexis, Tlie St. Louis Democrat says : Tlie mind of tlie average American gamin is largely demo cratic. It is no respecter of persons. All day long a crowd of street boys had lieen having high old sport at Twelfth ad Pine streets in shying snowballs at passers-by. They pro longed tlie tun much to tlieiudigna tiou of tlie possessors of the glitter ing targets ofsilk hats, and the vex ation of the souls of patient police men, all through the afternoon. When Alexis came he was instant ly recognized. With a shout of yells, "There's the Juke !" "Give it to the son of a Czar," the mitrail leuse ot snowballs was discharged, and royalty ducked beneath the de scending missels. Ducking, how ever, availed not, and Olsonfieitf alono iu the party successfully ran the battery. Alexis teigned a smile when the cold snow sifted down bis neck, and piously responded to Tndeer's hurried quotation from the Greco-Russian prayer-book. Those Sxpcmxos. The time was when all the stockings worn were knit by hand, by ladies of both high and low degree. Our mothers and grandmothers never thought of calling on a neighbor for an afternoon chat without Uk - ins their knitting work along : and every otherwise unoccupied hour i the nngers would piy ine giiucrtng i steel. We enn remember how we had to wait for tlie gratification of i every childish want till mother got around with the "scam needle: how with specs over her nose, she would sit by the fireside ot an even ing and read aloud, stopping now and then to see to "widen" or "nar row," or count the stitches, with the wliole family gathered about her. And mother kept all those many feet warm, and kn't the most raagirificent striped blue and white mittens, and initials on and a fringe arouud the wrist, that we have ever seen, or ever expect to see. The Lake Shore and Michigan Shore and Michigan Southern Rail way Company have commenced work of planting trees along the tracks on their road li,W) chest nut and 10,000 European larches have been planted along its line between White Pigeon and Toledo, through the country where.the for ests liave been mostly eleared away and the supply of timber is scan tiest. The work was most excel lently done, with the intention that every tree might live, and the cost, including the time of laborers, who belong to the regular force of the road, and did this work in connec tion with and in addition to their ordinary duties, at an average of eight cents per tree; excluding tho cost of tlie company's employes, the cost was tour cents per tree. Packing Salmon. When the salmon are brought to the lisliery they are piled up on long tables, projecting over tlie water. Here stands Chinamen, two at each ta ble, armed with long, sharp knives, who, with great celerity aud skill, disembowel and behead the fresh arrivals, pushing the offal over the brink into tlie river at the same time. After cleaning, the fish are thrown into brine vats, where they remain from one to two days to un dergo the necessary shrinkage, which is nearly one-half. They are then taken out, washed thoroughly, aud packed down in barrels, with the proper quality of salt. That they may keep perfectly well, it is necessary to heap them up in bar rels, and force them down with a screwpress. A Xew York dispatch says Mr Comer, Colonel Fisk's private Sec retary, is administrator of Fisk's es tate. On Friday he went to the Grand Central Hotel, and demand ed the personal property taken from the Colonel's person after the shoot ing. "''The property includes Fisk's immense diamond pin, his Siamond sleeve -buttons, lu diamond ling, and $1,500 in bank dotes, Instead of giving up the property, the ;bro- !ii V,AT . - V:ll jyci jmviiwu a Dill altowine Colonel Fisk ta die it? his house, bR GOODS. t..ninla. H.K.Yowff. J.Bamws. BLAIN, YOUNG & CO., Wholesale and Retail DEALERS IN DUY GpODS. ! . nnc,nTpc wAIIUliiAlJua HARDWARE, BOOTS, SHOES, ETC. Agents for All Kinds of AGRICUTURAL IMPLEMENTS SE WIXG MA CHINES; And the Celebrated Bain Wagon BLAIN, YOUNG &CO., FIRE-PROOF BRICK, First Street, ALBANY, ORECOIT.. !&1 i1.J.S'.V'" " '