Washington telegraph., 1851-01-01
THE REPORTS.
POSTMASTER Generals REPoR

The gross revenue OF the department.
for the year ending 3Oth June. including
an appropriation for franked matter of
the different Departments, of $500 900,
and deducting the sum Of S147.Ol3 30,
received for British postage. was $5. .552,-
971 49, The tota! expenditures were
$5,212 953 81. Gross excess of revenue
S34OO!0 O5. Adding uudrawn appro-
priations, &c the net balance in the De-
partnlent is 81 1,132.045 80. The re-
venues for The curren: year are estimated
AT a total of $6,166,6l6 %; and the ex-
pelduures of all kinds at $6.O19,009 80.
Tive Postmaster General recommends,
among oher important changes. re-
ducilon OH the rates Of postage-on inland
letters to cents prepaid; on sea going
letters 10 the Pacific coast, South America,
and the Eastern Continent, 20 cen:s, and
10 cents OH all other sea-goiEg letters;
on newspapers, inland. uniform rate Of
| cent OH pamphlets aud periodicals., in
land. cent per ounce; and for sea-going
newspapers. pamphlets. and periodicals,
double aud quadruble rates, where the
letter rates are 10 and 20 cents.
He also recommends the equitable re-
form of charging the expenses OF The
Congressional franking privilege, as we'll
as the transmission Of newspa per ex-
changes, upon the public Treasury, rather
than OH he private correspondence OF the
country He recommends that these
charges should go into effect at the COM
mencement of the next fiscal year; aud
that the commissions allowed to post
masters at the sma Her Offices should be
| raised, TO insure the services OF competent
and faithful officers. He also recon-
| mends that the laws regulating the De-
partment should be revised, and their
various provisions re-inacted in one law:
| and that the Assistant, Postmaster General
should be placed upon the same footing,
in point Of compensation, as the heads ol
bureaus III other Departments.
REPORT FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF THE
| INTERIoR.-The estimate Tor the various
| branches of the public services within
| the jurisdiction Of this department. for the
| ap?roa ching year. reach the large amount
of 81, 1872 O43 At; being an excess over
the estimates for the current year oi
| $l,72S,67O 63. The increase arises prin.
cipally from the enlarged expenses of In.
dian affairs and the pension list: tor which
the estimates are, respectively, Sl,441,-
472 &c and $2644726 81.
| The number of claimants for warrants
under the late bounty land law, up &c
Nov. 9Th, was 941S, and it is rapidly
| increasing. The whole number Of per.
sons who, if living, would be entitled TO
the benefit of the law. the Secretary says,
would exceed half a million; and he
estimates that the number of claimants
will be about 250,OOO.
Of the public lands there were dispos.
| ed of 5.lS4, 41O.9l acres; of which $780,.
| 9O2.77 were sold and 3 4O5, $50 90 lOcat.
ed Oh bounty land warrants. For the
three quarters of 1850, the quantity dis.
| posed of has been 1866 AZ acres;
500 6e2 so SoId and 800. l20 90 located
| Oh warrants.
The Secretary urges the importance OF
| national highway to the Pacific. within
our own territory from the valley of the
Mississippi to the western coast. and the
necessity of obs aiming full and accurate
| information as to the shortest and hest
route, having reference not only to dis
lance, but also 10 the soil, climate, aud
adoption TO agricultural purposes OF the
Intermediate country.
He renews the recommendation of his
predecessor tor the establishment of All
Agricultural bureau, and advises the in-
sttutiou or a model farm at Nom:
Vernon, "whose soil was once titled by
the hauds aud is now consecrated by the
dust of the Father of his Country"
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR.
The aggregate strength OF the army, as
\: present established by law, Is 1885
officers and men. 1t is estimated that the
number of men actually III service aud tit
for duty from deaths, discharges deser-
ilons sick ness, and other casualties. falls
short of legal organization Oh an average
of from 80 to 40 per cent; so that the
above number would represent all eftec-
tive force of only from S,40O to $500
men. OF the whole number. 1876 are
stationed in or are under orders for Texas,
New Mexico, California, and Oregon;
leaving only 4.53O in all the rest OF the
States aud Territories.
The Secretary urges the necessity OF
employing a cavalry force 10 curb the
Mexico; and suggests the adoption OF
some system. dictated equally by policy
aud humanity, for reclaiming the whole
unfortunate race, by inducing them to
abandon their wandering and predatory
life, TO live in villages. and resort 10 agri-
cultural pursuits for subsistence. The
statement of the enormous cost of trans
porting pork and flour FOR the use of the
troops in New Mexico, affords strong
evidence of the benefit which the repub-
lie would derive, in mere pecunlary
hight from restoring peace and security