President Grant is believed to be very ill. He has
had some kind of a stroke, produced by vexation at the official frauds, or at the revelation of them, being nearly fatal to his third term. The Senate has formed itself into a Court for the trial of General Belknap, but other investigations languish, the House of Repre- sentatives amusing itself with cutting down expenses. The other day it struck £100,000 off the allowance for maintaining the public offices, and as the Senate would not agree, stopped the Appro- priation, so that no office could obtain gas, fuel, or water from pipes. The great Post-offices were left without light, and the citizens subscribed to buy candles to get their letters sorted. The affair was, of course, more a joke than a reality, and an appro- priation was made, but it shows the lengths to which parties are ready to go. Note, that in these money contests the Senate, almost invariably wins, the Representatives not wanting economy, but only credit with the constituencies for wanting it.
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