Washington telegraph., 1851-12-24

on shipboard, and provide nothing in its stead is
to suppose progress of improvement in every
| individual among seameD, which is net assumed
by the legislature in respect to any other class of
men. 1t is hoped, that Congress, in the ample
opportunity afforded by the present session will
| thoroughly investigate this important subject and
establish such modes of determining guilt, aud
such gradations Of punishment as are consistent
with humanity, and the personal rights of ndi-
viduals, and at the same time shall insure The
most energetic and efficient performance of du.
| ty, and the suppression of crimes on our ships
| of war.
! The stcne dock in the navy yard at New York,
which was ten years in process of construction,
| has been SO far finished as be surrendered up
| to the authorities of the yard The dry dock,
at Philadelphia, is reported completed, and is
| expected soon to be tested, and delivered over
| 10 the agents OF the government. That at Ports
mouth, New Hampshire, is also nearly ready for
delivery, and contract has been concluded,
agreeably to the act Of Congress at its last session
Ior Il HoatIng sectional dock on the bay Of San
Francisco.
| l invite your attention to the communication
of the department, touching The establishment.
OF navy yard in conjunction with this dock,
| IN the Pacific. Such station is highly peces-
sary to the convenience of fleets in tl.at
ocean, which must be expected to increas se wits
the growth of Commerce, and the rar,5 extea-s
The Navy Academy at Anapos uaier a Re.
vIsed and improved system of regulation nos
affords opportunities of edacaion and .. .1elI1n
to the pupils quite equal. il s believed, lo5 pro
fessenal improvement, 70 Those euio5sd sy Toe
Cadets in the M'i,arv Academy. a large.
class Of Midshipuoen y as rece we'd al tre com
mencement Of the iast aeader1igal tenn and
practice ship RS been .uache3 10 {. iusi ltatiaa,
to afford the amPss meaus For regular instruc-
ton IN seemausHp, = as wet aH or cruises. doEtlE
the vacation, of lhree OF fourmouths 8ta es1..
year. Fhe advautages Of fcieaee 1tlca 81
fairs taye rarely beer ps5re d. ti.gl illustrated
tbant the sact stetess jaL.is4 P3s. g. tie Navy
depsr,meut thai 0yf ,ees.s Of llse wind eHd cur
leat charts protected aud osed by Loulsrtu
n anfg the superintendent o, .h- naval 1b, va
tory tho passage Of The Atlantic aud Pacific l..rts,
of country bas baen Sborteutt ty a0oat forty
days.
The est.mate for ihe support Of ne Navy and
Marine corr. toe eusaiug :iscai year, will be
found to be :, 500 4f2 .S- ne estimates for the
current wear t-inr @5,o0U,62l. The estimates
for special object luder control of this depart
ment amount to s. ,o4,220 80, against S2,2l0.-
$50 for the last year--the increase being for ad
dtiona mail service the Pacific coast, and
the construction of the dock in California,
thorzed by the last session of Congress, and
some slight additions under he head of improve
menls and repairs in Navy Yard business and
machinery
/ deem it CT much Importance to just eesno-
nv, and correct understa ndug of naval expeu-
ditures, that there should be entire separation
OF the appropriation for the support Of the naval
service power from those for permanent improve
meuts at Navy ards and stations, and from
steam mail service and 9th h3r special objects,
signed to the supervision of this de pirinent.
The report of the Postmaster General, here with
communicated, presents AN interesting view of the
progress Of the operations aud condition of his de-
partment AT the close of the last fiscal year, the
length Of mail routes in the United States was
1876 ,290 miles; the annual transport alton thereon
| SO ,272, ,252 miles, and the annual cos. Ct such
! transportation S3 ,42i ,754 The length Of the
foreign mail routes is estimated at is $40 miles,
and the annua! transportation thereon at 6l5 900
miles The annual cost OF tn service is 5 ,472.-
lSs, of which s S4iS ,937 is paid by the Pot Office
| Department and 5 1923 $50 is paid through the
Navy Department. The annual transportation
within the United States, excluding the service in
California and Oregon, which is now for the first
time reported and enumerated in the tabular st ate
meuts of the department. exceeds that OF the pre-
cednp year 8 is 2S5 miles, at a cost OF Ss547 10
The whole number of Post Offices in The United
States the 3Oth day of June last, was 10 1876.
There were 1893 Post Offices established aud 256
discontinued, during the year. The gross revenues
of the department, for the fiscal year, including
the appropriations for the franked matter of Con.
gress, Of the departments and officers of govern
ment, and excluding the foreign postages coIleced
for and payableto the English Post Office, amount
to S6727 $3.50 7S. Expenditures for the same
period, excluding 800, 599 -, psie under award
of the Auditor, in pursuance of d resolution of
the last Congress, for mail service the Ohio and
Mississippi rivers in ls32-'33, and the amount
paid TO the British Post Office, collected FOR, aud
payable to that office, amount to 81 ,O24 500 10;
leaving ID balance Of revenue over the proper ex-
Of offs
for postage during the year, excluding the foreign
postage, collected for and payable to the British
Post Office, amounted to $6,344, ,747 81, being
an increase OF S197,6I0 79, or SlS6,5lO over
the receipts of the preceding year
The reductin Of postage under the act Of March
last, did not take effect until the commencement
of the present fiscal year. The amounts for the
first quarter under the operation of the reduced
rates. will not be settled before January next and
reliable estimate of the rece pts for the present
year yet be made. 1t is believed, however,
that they will fall far short Of those of the last
year. The surplus of the revenues now on hand,
are, however, 50 large, that nc further apHropra-
ton from the treasury in aid Of the revenue of this
department, is required for the current fiscal year,
but an additional appropriation for the year ending
June 30th, 1853 will probably be found
ry, when the receipts of the first two quarters of
the fiscal year fully ascer aimed. In his last
annual report, the Postmaster General recommen-
ded reduction Of postage which he deemed as
low could be prudentIy adopted, unless Con-
gross was disposed to appropriate from the treasu-
ry, for the support Of the department, sum more
than equivalent to the mail rerylce performed by
| it for the government
The recommendations by the Postmaster Gem
era in respect to letter postage, except letters
TO or from California and Oregon, were substan-
| italy adopted by the last Congress He re-
commends adherence to the present letter Rates,
and advises no further reduction until justified by
the revenue CT the department.. He also recon-
n,ends that the rates OF postage printed matter
| be so revised to render them simple and