The Sun.
London, England, 1850-12-18 00:00:00

TERRITORIES ON THE PACIFIC.

The unprecedented growth of our territories on the
Pacific in wealth and population, and the consequent
increase of their social and commercial relations with
the Atlantic States, seems to render it the duty of the
Government to use all its constitutional power to im-
prove the means of intercourse with them. The im-
portance of " opening a line of communication, the best
and most expeditious of which the nature of the country
will admit," betwee❑ the valley of the Mississippi and
the Pacific, was brought to your notice by my prede-
cessor in his annual message, and as the reasons which
be presented in favour of the measure still exist in full
force, I beg leave to call your attention to them and to
repeat the recommendations then made by him.
The uncertainty which exists in regard to the
validity of land titles in California is a subject which
demands your early consideration. Large bodies of
land in that State are claimed under grants said to
have been made by authority of the Spanish and Mexi-
can Governments. Many of these have not been per-
fected, others have been revoked, and some are be-
lieved to be fraudulent. But until they shall have been

judicially investigated, they will continue to retard the
settlement and improvement of the country. I, there-
fore, respectfully recommend that provision be made by
law for the appointment of commissioners to examine all
such claims a ith a view to their final adjustment.
I also beg leave to call your attention to the propriety
of extending, at an early day, our system of land laws,
with such modifications as may be necessary, over the
state of California and the territories of Utah and New
Mexico. The mineral lands of California will, of course,
form an exception to any general system which may be
adopted. Various methods of disposing of them have
been suggested. I was at ,first inclined to favour the
system of leasing, as it seemed to promise the largest
' revenue to the Government, and to afford tho best secu-
rity against monopolies; but further rctl,:ction, and
our experience in leasing the lead-mines and
selling lands upon credit, have brought my
mind to the conclusion, that there would be great
difficulty in collecting the rents, and that the rela-
tiens of debtor and creditor between the citizens and
the Government would be attended with many mischie-
vous consequences. I therefore recommend that, instead
of retaining the mineral lands under the permanent con-
trol of the Government, they be divided into small par-
cels and sold, under such restrictions, as to quantity and
time, as will insure the best price, and guard most effec-
tually against combinations of capitalists to obtain mono-
polies.

THE INDIAN TRIBES.
The annexation of Texas, and the acquisition of Ca-
lifornia and New Mexico, have given increased import-
ance to our Indian relations. The various tribes brought
under our jurisdiction by these enlargements of our
boundaries are estimated to embrace a population of
124,000.
Texas and New Mexico are surrounded by powerful
tribes of Indians, who are a source of constant terror
and annoyance to the inhabitants. Separating into
small predatory bands, and always mounted, they
overrun the country, devastating farms, destroying
crops, driving off whole herds of cattle, and occasionally
murdering the inhabitants or carrying them
into captivity. The great roads leading into the
country are infested with them, whereby travelling is
rendered extremely dangerous, and immigration is al-
most entirely arrested. The Mexican frontier, which,
by the 11th article of the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo,
wo are bound to protect against the Indians within our
borders, is exposed to those incursions equally with our
own. The military force stationed in that country (al-
though forming a large proportion of our army) is re-
presented as entirely inadequate to our own protection,
and the fulfilment of our treaty stipulations with Mexico.
The principal deficiency is in cavalry, and I recommend
that Congress should, at as early a period as practicable,
provide for the raising of one or more regiments of
mounted men.
For further suggestions on this subject, and others
connected with our domestic interests, and the defence
of our frontier, I refer you to the report of the Secre-
tary of the Interior and the Secretary of War.
THE ARMY AND NAVY.

I commend also to your favourable consideration the
suggestion contained in the last-mentioned report, and
in the letter of the General-in-Chief, relative to the es-
tablishment of an asylum for the relief of disabled and
destitute soldiers. This subject appeals so strongly to
your sympathies, that it would be superfluous in me to
say anything more than barely to express my cordial
approbation of the proposed object.
The navy continues to give protection to our com-
merce and other national interests in the different quar-
ters of the globe, and, with the exception of a single
steamer on the northern lakes, the vessels in commission
are distributed in six different squadrons.
The report of the head of that department will ex-
hibit the services of these squadrons, and of the se-
veral vessels employed in each during the past year. It
is a source of gratification that, while they have been
constantly prepared for any hostile emergency, , they
have everywhere met with the respect and courtesy due,
as well to the dignity as to the peaceful dispositions and
just purposes of the nation.