17 JANUARY 1874, Page 2

President Grant appears to be unlucky in his Chief Justices.

The Chief Justiceship of the United States is vacant, and he at first named for it his Attorney-General, Mr.Williams, a gentleman

-whom he had picked up somewhere in Oregon. Mr. Williams was immediately accused, truly or falsely, of corruption, par- ticularly in retaining 60,000 dols. levied from a commercial firm, 'under pretext that it was necessary to keep a non-existent law in terrorem over defaulters, and was disapproved by the Senate. -The President then turned to Mr. Caleb Cushing, whom he had just appointed Minister to Spain, but evidence was produced or alleged of Mr. Cushing's " complicity " with Jeff. Davis, and he r, io had to be withdrawn. It is supposed that the President, by a careful process of exhaustion among his personal friends, will at length hit upon some lawyer whom the Senate will pass, but it is not expected that he will appoint or try to appoint the best man.