The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-12-06

bave been negotiated with Indian tribes aud
thouapd dolars rdian Ia d. to the amou Mt of more
than eighteen million five hundred thousand acres,
have been coded to the United States and provision
has been made for settling In the country west Of the
Mis,isppi the tribes which occupied this large extent
of the public domain The title to all the Indian lands
within the several States Of Union with the excep
ton Of few small reservations Is extnguished,
and vast region opened for settlement and cutiva
ton.
The accompanying report of the Secretary of the
Navy gives satisfactory exhibit Of the operations
and condition Of that branch Of the public service.
mouths OF rivers judiciously purchased during
the war and gave great efficiency to the squadron in
the Gulf Of Mexico. On the return of peace when no
longer valuable for naval purposes, and liable to
slant deterioration, they were sold, and the money
The number of men in the naval service authorized
by law during the has been reduced by discharges
below the maximum fixed for the peace establish ment
Adequate squadrons maintained in the several
quarters Of the globe where experience has shown their
services may be most usefully employed aud the
val service was in condition of higher dsci-
pline or greater efficiency.
invite attention to the recommendation Of the Sc
cretary of the Navy the subject Of the marine
The reduction Of the corps at the end of the
CURED that four officers Of each of the three lower
officers made the selection and those designated
were sarly dismissed, but without any alleged
the service would be improved by reducing the
Der of andsmen, and increasing the marines. Such
measure would justify an increase Of the number Of
and still the corps would have fewer officers than
| corresponding number Of men In the army.
The contracts for the transportation of the mail in
steamships convertible into steamers, promise to
realize all the benefits to our commerce and to the
navy hich were anticipated. The first steamer thus
secured to the government was launched in January
1877 There seven; and In another year there
will probably, be not less than seventeen shoat.
While this great national advantage is secured,
social and commercial intercourse Is increased and
promoted with Germany, Great Srisais ana other
Coast Of our continent, especially with Oregon and
California and between the northern and southern
- H. skaa Ctafo Ia
may be expected from hostages; but the connected
line from New ors to Chagres and thence across the
influence not now to be estimated the interests
the manufactures. commerce, navigation and curren
system. recsmmsnd to your favorable consideration
the establishment OF the proposed line Of steamers be-
tween New Orleans and Vera Cruz 1t promises the
happy results in cemsnting friendship between
the two republics and in extending reciprocal benefits
to the trade and manufactures OF both
The report Of the Postmaster General will make
known to the operations OF that department for
It is gratifying to nd the revenues of the depart.
ment under the rates of postage established by
law, rapidly increasing The gross amount of post
ages during the last fiscal year. amounted to mil
lion three hundred and seventy one thousand and
seventy seven dollars, exceeding the annual average
received for the nine years immediately the
pnssage of the the third OF March, 1S45, by the
Of six thousand four hundred and fifty three dol
lars and exceeding the amount received for the year
hundred and twenty five thousand one hundred and
eighty -four dollars.
The expenditures TOT the year, Tue sum OF
ninety four thousand six hundred and seventy-two
dollars allowed by Congress at its last session to indi
vdusl claimants and including the sum zone hundred
thousand hundred dollars paid for the services of
the line Of steamers between Bremen and New York,
amounted to four million one hundred nd nnetyeght
thousand eight hundred and forty five dollars which
than the annual average for the nine
vious to the act 1S45 by three hundred thousand
seven hundred and forty. eight dollars
The mail routes on the thirtieth day Of June last,
were hundred and sixty-three thousand two hun.
sd and eight %' sa
and ninety miles. The mails were transported over
them, during the same time, forty one million twelve
thousand FIVE hundred and seventy nine miles, making
of transportation for the of two mil
lion hundred and tive nty four thousand six hun
bred and eighty miles, whilst the was less than
tina, of the previous year by four thousand two hun
dred and thirty Ave dollars.
The increase in the mail transportation within the
three years has been FIVE million three hundred
and seventy. eight thousand three hundred and ten
miles whilst the expenses we're reduced four hundred
and fifty six thousand seven hundred and thirty eight
dears-rnakng increase of service at the rate OF
fifteen per cent, and a reduction in the expenses Of
During the past year there have been employed,
under contracts with the post office department two
ocean steamers In conveying mails monthly pc.
tween New York and Bremen, and one, since October
last performing semi monthly service Charles
ton and Havana; and contract has been made for
the transportation of the Pacific mails across the
isthmus from Chagres to Panama,
Under the authority given to the Secretary Of the
Navy three steamers have been constructed and
sent the Pacific and expected to enter the
mail service between Panama and Oregon and the In
termedate ports on the first of January next, and .
fourth has been engaged by him for the service be-
tween Havana and Chagres; that irregular monthly
mail line will be kept up after That time between the
United States and our territories on the Pacific.
Notwithstanding this great increase in the mail
vice, should the revenue continue to increase the
1t did in the last there will be received
four hundred and fifty thousand dollars more than the
These considerations have satisfied the Postmaster
General that with certain notifications of the act of
ls45 the reve be still further increased and
duction Of hostages made to uniform rate Of five
cents, without interference with the principle,
which has been constantly and properly enforced Of
making that department sustain itself
Of
is of much mportance'in country so extensive as
that Of the United States, that recommend to your
master General for its improvement
Nothing retard the onward progress of our coun-
try, and prevent us from assuming and maintaining
the frst rank among nations, but disregard of the
experience of the past and recurrence to unwise
public policy We have jsst closed foreign war by |
an honorable peace-a war rendered necessary and
unavoidable in vindcation Of the national rights and
honor The present condition of the country is SINH
lar in some respects to that which existed immediate
~ after the cIose of the with Great Britain in
1875 and the occasion Is deemed to be proper one to
take Retrospect the of the public policy
which followed that There was at that period
Of history departure from our earlier policy The
of the powers Of the federal government
BY construction, which obtained, not warranted
BY any just Interpretation OF the constitution. few
years after the close Of that series of measures
was adopted which, united and combined constituted
what was termed by their authors and advocates the
"American system"
The introduction of the policy was for time ia
vored by the condition of the country by the heavy
debt which had been contracted during the war; BY
the depression of the public credit; by the dersnged
state Of the finances and the currency and by the
commercial and pecuniary embarrassment which ex-
teprively prevailed These not the only causes
which led to its establishment. The events Of the
with Great Britain and the barrassments which had
attended its prosecution, had left the minds of
many Of our statesmen, the impression that our 60
vernmen not stro enough and that to WELD its
successfully in great emergencies and espe
cally in power should be In its
hands. This increased power they did not seek to
obtain by the legitimate aud prescribed mode an
amendment of the consttution-but by construo-
ton. They saw governments in the old world based
upon different orders Of society and so constitut-
ed to throw the whole power of nations into the
hands Of few who taxed and controlled the
many without responsibility or restraint. In that
arrangement they conceived the strength Of nations