The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-14 00:00:00

THE UNITED STATES.

(Prom the Times' Special Correspondent.)
NEW YORK, Aug. 1.
In the present straitened condition o? United
States Exchequer it is natural that those who have
the control of it should look with wistful eyes to-
twards those States and territories whose enormous
mineral wealth has only recently been discovered.
The course of legislation in America with regard to
its territories has not always been of the most eco-
nomical kind. The Government has been lavish in
the distribution of its wealth, forgetting that the
hour might come when it would need all the re-
sources within its reach. Whether the extra pro-
duction of gold is an addition to the world's wealth
or not, American economists hold that a time of
great production has always been a time of great
prosperity, and they point to the progress made by
Europe and America during the last 15 years in
corroboration of their views. "If our Govern-
_ment," they are accustomed to say, " had not given
away its mineral possession in the Pacific States, it
could have fortified itself against the strains it is
now called upon to encounter. We need scarcely
have been inconvenienced pecuniarily by the war,
and our debt would certainly not have assumed its
present proportions." Even now it is not too late
for the Legislature to retrace its steps. What it
has lavished already cannot be recalled, but it may
cease to be prodigal. And as there is reason to be-
lieve that this subject will be one of the earliest to
engage the attention of Congress, a review of it in
its past and present bearings may not be without
its uses.

When in 1801 the United States Government
bought the French possessions on the Mississippi,
and purchased, or went through the form of Fir-
chasing, land belonging to the Indians, Congress
passed a law authorising the sale of all such lands to
colonists at a price not exceeding a dollar an acre.
The Government undertook to defray the cost of
surveying, and for some years the expenditure on
this account was not counterbalanced by the receipts
upon sales of land. But in process of time the
Eastern States became overpopulated, emigration
from abroad flowed towards this continent, and the
tide soon turned in the direction of the West. Then
the sales of land became so numerous that even at
the low rates demanded a large profit was left in
the hands of the Government. This surplus in-
creased so much that it became a source of weak-
ness rather than of strength to the Government, as it
led to corruption, and proved a real embarrassment
to the Administration. After long oonsideration it
was resolved to lend the money in hand to the
various States, the amount to be distributed pro
rata, according to population, and to be devoted to
educational purposes, internal improvements, and
objects of the like kind. Some of the States declined
at first to receive these loans, but they soon recog-
nized the folly of that course, and ultimately they
were accepted by all. The money thus lent has
never been returned, and although if the States
were called upon to pay it they would be obliged to
do so, yet their financial credit so involves the credit
of the Federal Government that it is quite under-
stood no demand upon them will ever be made.
Thus far the Government had merely been liberal,
and doubtless the stimulus it gave to the progress
and prosperity of the country fully compensated it.
It was not until three or four years ago that, as some
contend, it squandered its resources, and this hap-
pened in the following way :
An Act was passed in Congress known as the
" Homestead Law," by which any person is em-
powered to claim 160 acres of the territories, or
" wild" land in the West, without paying a fraction
to the Government for them. It is only imposed as
a condition that the land shall be put under culti-
vation. Since that time it has been discovered that
these territories abound in gold and silver, which comes
into the hands of the first emigrant who is adventurous
enough to seek his fortunes in the remote West—
the tract which used to be called. the " Far West"
being long since passed. This " Homestead Law,"
as I began by remarking, is now much regretted by
many financiers in the country. More than one
public man has openly deplored its existence, and
one of the foremost wrote two letters recommending
that it be repealed. To this, however, there would
be many and grave objections. On the faith of the
guarantee given by the Government miners have
gone in large numbers to the mines of the Pacific
States--as for convenience they may be called—and
it is too late to withdraw from any engagement with
them. But might not all lands as yet unoccupied
be claimed by and on behalf of the Government ?
Congress would be reversing its former policy by
assenting to such a course, for so recently as its last
session, it made a law respecting the new State of
Nevada, which was as follows :

" No possessory action between individuals, in any of
the courts of the United States, for the recovery of any
mining title, or for damages to such title, shall be affected
by the fact that the paramount title to the land on which
such mines are, is in the United States ; but each case shall
be judged by the law of possession."
" The-law of possession" is no other than the laws
made by the States—i.e., by the miners themselves.

Thus, then, the right of the miner to take up land
and claim it as his own has been reaffirmed, and
those who advocate his interests contend that no
alteration in the law can now be made with any
sense of justice. " At least," they say, " 150,000
of the miners of the Pacific have, for the last 15
years, devoted themselves exclusively to explora-
tions. All they ask, and all they expect to receive,
is a mine when they find it. No money can buy
this kind of labour. Whatever action Govern-
ment may take, one thing is certain, that the
miner's possession and the miner's right will
never be disregarded." Yet during the last four
years the necessities of the Government have
forced it to disregard more than one " right," and
even to take a liberty here and there with the Con-
stitution, which would have shocked the people of
the United States in 1860, but which, by common
consent, they shut their eyes to in 1865.
This being the position of legislation with regard
to these States and territories, it is necessary to
glance at the extent of the resources which are in-
volved. The chief mineral districts are Arizona,
Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, and New Mexico. Ari-
zona comprises New Mexico between the 109 deg.
of longitude and the Californian line, and, accord-
ing to Mr.M'Cormick, the secretary of the territory,
it embraces 120,912 square miles, or 77,383,680
acres—a district three times as large as the State of
New York. Besides the enormous mineral wealth
of this region, it is described as having splendid
arable, pasture, and timber lands. It is a quartz
mining country, and only men, therefore, who go
with a little capital can hope to succeed. It is, how-
ever, already largely populated. The Commissioner
of the General Land Office, in a report submitted to
Congress in December, 1863, states that Arizona is
probably richer in minerals than any other territory
of equal extent, and he goes on to say, ‘, The rich
silver mines of Nevada on the north, of Sonora on
the south, which latter have been traced into and
successfully worked into the southern part of the
territory (Arizona), recent discoveries in the valleys
of the Upper Colorado and its tributaries, and in
Western New Mexico and Eastern Arizona, all point
to this territory as the grand centre of the immense
mineral deposits of this region." The wealth of
Nevada, the last State added to the Union, is even
greater than that of this territory.
Nevada lies
north of Arizona, and west of Utah—the Mormons
being somewhat discomposed by the presence near
them of a rude and unholy mining population. It is
computed that Nevada could produce twelve and a-
half millions of dollars a day—provided there were a
thousand quartz mills at work, " of a capacity- for
reducing 50 tons each per day." This result is at
present probleniatical, but what is actually being
done may be inferred from the fact that in Septem-
ber of last year the product of the silver mines of
the district known as Washoewas no less than about
$75,000 per day. In October, 1862, one of the
counties in this State, Storey County, sea a contri-
bution of 1320,226 22c. to the Sanitary Commission
of the United States. The chief mines are silver,
but quicksilver, lead, and antimony are said to be
abundant. It may be interesting to state that Ne-
vada sent two companies of troops for service in the
war, altogether about 350 men. Colorado, lying
upon the western slope of the Rocky Mountains,
was made an organised territory in 1861, and in

1863 its mines yielded about $12,000,000. When
the Pacific Railroad is completed Colorado, in com-
mon with the other mineral districts, will find its
property greatly increased. In Idaho, gold, platina,
copper, and iron are said to be very abundant. A
semi-official statement informs us that " gold has
been discovered on nearly all the tributaries and
head-waters of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers,
and still north, reaching to andgoing beyond
our national boundaries." New Mexico is in a more
unsettled state than either of the above states or ter-
ritories, but its mineral resources also are known to
be very large. Altogether the prognostications of
those who affirm that the day is not far distant
when the product of American mines will reach the
sum of $500,000,000 per annum, however distant of
realisation they maybe, must not be pronounced al-
together visionary., or even extravagant.
It is not necessary to enter into further details to
show that the prize which the United States' Go-
vernment has relinquished is no light one. That
its revenues might be immensely increased by re-
pealing the Homestead Law, and selling its land at
a high rate, cannot be doubted. The question is
whether such a measure would not place a restriction
upon enterprise, and turn aside the capital which is
necessary to bring into use the hidden riches of
these regions. This matter Congress will probably
be called upon to consider, and in the meantime the
financiers may be forgiven if they maintain that in
dealing generously with miners and other pioneers
the Gcvernment forgot to be fair to itself, or just
towards the people of the United States as a nation.
The. Mexican difficulty continues to wear an omi-
nous look, and the shrewdest amongst the public men
here regard it as the most serious of the troubles
now before the country. As I remarked in a pre-
vious letter, there is no doubt whatever that the
American people are wedded to the Monroe " doc-
trine," and I have since been informed on very high
authority that the Government is fully resolved to
be content with nothing less than the withdrawal
of French troops from Mexico and the retirement of
Maximilian. It will not be precipitate ; it is ready
to wait for months ; but its earnest hope is that
Napoleon, finding that his anticipations of the
success of the Southern Confederacy have not been
fulfilled, will voluntarily abandon Mexico. The
Cabinet believes he would never have gone there at
all but for his confidence in the ultimate establish-
ment of the Confederacy. However this may be,
they hope and think that he will now, in the lan-
guage of the day, " clear out." I doubt whether
the Government has sufficiently considered the fact
that the Emperor Napoleon has not as yet shown
a readiness to " clear out" of any place or position
where he has once established himself, and it is
impossible not to perceive that the confident ex-
pectation which is here entertained that he will
quit Mexico immediately the United States motions
to him to go, may possibly prove fallacious. " The
Emperor," I hear on every side, " will never go
to war with us. Ile knows that we are too strong
for him. He will go quietly; if not, our Government
will compel him." That is the state of feeling, but of
course nothing will be done until the meeting of Con-
gress. I repeat, however, the important fact that the
Cabinet is resolved to insist upon carrying out the
Monroe principle, and if it keeps its purpose, and
Napoleon does not change his, it is evident that there
are yet formidable trials before the Republic.
The only news about Mr. Davis is that he is better
in health, and that no official announcement has been
made up to the time I write concerning the date of
his trial.

Naval and Military Intelligence.

--a -

The Lords of the Admiralty concluded their an-
nual inspection of Portsmouth Dockyard on Satur-
day, and returned to town in the evening, the Duke
of Somerset having held a lev6e at the Naval Col-
lege in the morning. Their Lordships were ex-
pected to return to Portsmouth last evening to
embark on board their yacht Enchantress for
Cherbourg.
The Osborne and Vivid, paddle yachts, returned
to Portsmouth on Saturday from Antwerp, and will
most probably accompany the Lords of the Admi-
ralty to Cherbourg.
The armour-plated screw frigate Agincourt, built
by Messrs. Laird Brothers, of Birkenhead, for the
Government, left the Mersey on Saturday at noon,
under the command of Captain Poynter, of her
Majesty's ship Donegal, for Plymouth, where she
will be formally handed over to the Admiralty
officials. Among those on board were Mr. Henry
Laird, who represented the builders -; Mr. Field,
who represented Messrs. Maudslay, Sons, and
Field, the makers of her engines ; and Mr. Johnson,
the Government inspector. In passing slowly down
the river she received a salute of twenty-one guns
from the battery attached to Messrs. Laird's works.
Shortly after she had passed Bell-buoy she was
joined by the National Steam Navigation Com-
pany's steamer Queen, built by 'Messrs. Laird onthe
slip next adjoining the dock in which the Agincourt
was constructed, and launched a month after the
Agincourt. The Queen, which is 3,500 tons burden,
475-horse power, and 400 ft. long over all, accom-
panied the Agincourt for a short distance at full
speed, but it appeared that the Agincourt had the
advantage. The Queen has, however, been built
for carrying capacity rather than for speed. After
leaving the Bell-buoy the Agincourt, with the tide
in her favour, ran a distance of 55 nautical miles in
4 hours 20 minutes, or at , the rate of 121 knots an
hour. Making the usual allowance for the tide, the
actual speed would be at the rate of 11} knots.
This corresponded with the register of the patent log.
The engines are of 1,350 nominal horse-power, and
are on the double piston-rod principle, having return
connecting rods. The cylinders are 101 in. in dia-
meter, and have a stroke of 4ft. Gin. The steam is
supplied by 10 boilers, heated by 40 furnaces, which
will consume on the average 100 tons of coal a day.
The engines made from 48 to 50 revolutions a
minute, with a vacuum of 26in., and a pressure of
191 b. of steam. There was no inconvenience or
stoppage of any kind, and no .indications of heated
bearings. The vibration, too, promises to be very
slight in proportion to her power. She answered
her helm admirably. She anchored in Holyhead
harbou'r at 6.38 p.m., and would, It was understood,
resume her voyage at 6 o'clock yesterday morning.
Her internal fittings are now completed throughout,
and the ,only additional work required is the raising
of her masts—her five lower masts are stowed away
on the upper deck—and the addition of her rigging.
This will be done by the Government officials at
Plymouth.
The Himalaya, screw troopship, Capt. T. B.
Lethbridge, arrived at Spithead on Saturday from
Quebec, with the 63d Regiment and detachments of
troops on board, a detailed list of which was given
in The Sun of Saturday. The Himalaya left Quebec
on the 2d inst. The 63d Regiment will disembark
from the ship this morning and be forwarded on to
Aldershot by special South-Western train via Farn-
borough. The time-expired men and invalids will
disembark at the same time, and be sent on to their
depots and Netley Hospital. The Himalaya is now
ordered to be held in readiness to embark by the
28th inst.
Canadasatn.
nifles.e s from various regimental de-
pots and returnHimalaya t
o co n Spitheadcontinues
elsvituhndthere
the command of Capt. T. B. Lethbridge (who was
temporarily appointed to the command by
the
Ad-
miralty owing to the illness of Capt. Lacy)an officer
highly esteemed by the military authorities for the
energy and discrimination of his character and mea-
sures in the somewhat difficult position of A captain
of one of her Majesty's troop ships.

Major- Gen . Lord George Paget, C . 8., Inspector-
General of Cavalry, has finished an inspection of
the cavalry regiments at Aldershot, these being the
3d (King's Own) Hussars, the 14th (King's) Hus-
sars, and the Bth (Royal Irish) Hussars. The regi-
ments were put through the customary manoeuvres,
which were performed very creditably. The follow-
lowing regimental order was subsequently issued by
Col. Thompson, commanding the 14th Hussars :
" The commanding officer has much pleasure in con-
veying to all ranks that the Inspector-General of
Cavalry, Lord George Paget, C. 8., was much
pleased with the soldierlike and very clean appear-
ance of the regiment on parade this day. He also
favourably mentioned the improved condition of the
horses, and expressed himself highly satisfied with
the manoeuvres of the regiment in field this morn-