Washington telegraph., 1850-01-30
Report of the Secretary of the Interior.


The annual report of Mr.. Ewing, Sec
retary of the Interior, occupies four and
half columns of the Intelligencer. 1t
recommends the creation of the office ol
solicitor of the Department to determine
all legal questions.
The Patent Office, which marks the
progress and results of the inventive gen.
ius of the American people, is an object
of increasing interest and Importance
The establishment of an Agricultural Bu-
reau, separated from the Patent Office, is
recommended.
The amount of claims for bounty land
warrants filed at the Pension Office, prior
to Nov. 5, was about 83 900; of these
5000 have been suspended or rejected;
and about 20, 900 remain to be filed. The
number of invalid pensioners has increas-
ed during the year 689: the whole num-
Der now on the list is Ais.
The quantity of public lands sold for
cash in the first thfee-quar.ers of 1849
was 887 ,206-40 acres, and the amount
located by bounty warrants 2,496, $50
acres, making an aggregate increase over
the sales and locations of the preceding
year, of Ais 425-8O acres
Of 10000 claims for bounties, 1922
have been satisfied in money, and 7O,39O
have been allowed to be satisfied in land
which will acquire 1O.636, 12O acres;
and should there be 100000 valid claims,
as estimated, then there will remain 26,-
68S unsatisied claims, which if settled in
land, will require further quantity of
4,O20,489 acres, making in all Ii, 4,656,600
acres. Prior ID 1st of October last there
had been located with those Mexican
war warrants, 5,O25, 400 acres, leaving
yet to be located 1851 200 acres Until
the bounty warrants are exhausted, the
receipts in cash from the sales of public
lands must be comparatively small.
Considerable space is devoted to an
account of the geological exploration and
surveys of the mineral lands in Michigan,
Wisconsin and Iowa; and also in relation
to the public lands in Oregon, California
and New Mexico. The Secretary says
it will be especially necessary to establish
a judicial commission to examine and set
tie land titles in California. AS to the
disposition the Government should make
of its mineral lands in California, the Sec
retary says:
IF the United States sell the mineral
lands for cash, and transfer at once all the
title to the gold which they contain, but
very small part of their value will
probably be realized 1t would be bet
ter, in my opinion, to transfer them for
sale Of lease, reserving part of the gold
collected as a rent or seigDorage.
After recommending mint in Callfor-
MIA, the Secretary proceeds:
When the land is properly divided. it
WILL in my opinion, be best to dispose OF
it, whether by lease or sale, SO as to Gre
ate an estate to be held only on condition
that the gold collected from the mine
shall be delivered into the custody of an
officer of the branch mint. Out of the
gold so deposited there should be retained
for rent and assay, or coinage, fixed per
cent, such as may be deemed reasonable,
and the residue passed to the credit of the
miner, and paid to him at his option in
coin or stamped bullion, or its value in
drafts on the Treasury or mint of the U.
States.
"The gold in the mine, and after it is
be and remain the property of the United
States. The barter, sale, gift, or exporta-
ton of any portion of it before it shall
have been delivered at the mint, and SO
coined, or assayed and stamped, or its con-
cealment with intent to avoid the pay
ment of rent or seignorage. should involve
a forfeiture of the gold itself, and also OF
the mine. The terms of lease or sale
should be stringent to enforce the pay
ment of seignorage and rents.
$50 far as the surface deposits extend,
l am of opinion that leases will, for fur
ther reason be preferable to sale OF the
lands If sold they will pass at once into
the hands of large capitalists; IT leased,
industrious men without capital may be-
come the proprietors, as they can work
the mines and pay the rent out of the pro-
ceeds. But where gold is found in the
rocks in places the case is different
These must necessarily fall into the hands
of large capitalists or joint stock compa-
nies, as they cannot be wrought without
a heavy investment"
The report concludes by urging the
opening of a road to the Pacific, and re-
ferring to Indian affairs which is treated
of at length.
ODD FELLows.-The Washington G lobe
pays the following high and well merited
compliment to this independent Order"
"We believe that in the whole history
of the world, there is no instance of any
society of men, unaided by power. wealth,
or political influence, who have from an