Weekly Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1853-1861, 1856-12-11

ana land warrants and for other purposes thir
ty million one hundred thousand two hundred
and thirty acres, thus making a total aggregat B,
of thirty-nine million three hundred and TWEEN
| ty-eIght thousand one hundred and eight acres
On the 3Oth of September last, SURVEYS hac
been made of sixteen million eight hundred anc
seventy three thousand six hundred and ninety.
nine acres, large proportion of which is ready
/ for market
The suggestion in this report in regard to tn,
complication and progressive expansion Of tn,
different bureaux of the department-to tn,
pension systemic the colonization Of Indiar
tribes, and the recommendations in relation Il
various Improvements in the District of Oolum
bia, are especially commended to your consid
Grafton.
The report of the Postmaster General pre-
sents fully the condition Of that department o
the government. Its expenditures for the las
fiscal year, were ten million four hundred anc
seven thousand eight hundred and sixty eigh
dollars; and its gross receipts seven million si1
hundred and twenty thousand eight hundred
and one dollars-making an excess of expend
ture over receipts of two million seven hundred
and eighty-se thousand and forty-six dol
lars. The deficiency OF this department i
thus seven hundred and forty four thousand
dollars greater than for the year ending
June 30, 1853. OF this deficiency, three hund.
red and thirty thousand dollars is to be attrib
uted to the additional compensation allowed
postmasters by the act of Congress of June %
1884. The mail facilities in every part of the
country have been very much increased in that
period, and the large addition of railroad SER
vice, amounting to seven thousand nine hund
red and eight miles, has. added largely TO the
cost of Transportation.
The inconsiderable augmentation of the in.
come of the Post Office Department under the
reduced rates of postage, and its increasing ex-
penditures, must, for the present, make it de-
pendent to some extent upon the treasury for
support The recommendations of the Post
Master General, in relation to the abolition OF
the franking privilege. and his views upon the
establishment of mail steamship lines, deserve
the consideration Of Congress. / also call the
special attention OF Congress TO the statement
of the Post Master General respecting the sums
now paid for the transportation of mails to the
Panama Railroad Company, and recommend To
their early and favorable consideration the sug-
gestions of that officer in relation to new con
tracts for mail transportation upon that route
and also upon the Tehuantepec and Nicaragua
routes.
The United States continue in the enjoyment
of amicabe relations with all foreign powers
When my last annual message was transmit
ted to Congress, two subjects of controversy,
one relating to the enlistment of soldiers in this
Central America, threatened to disturb the good
understanding between the United States and
Great Britain. OF the progress and termination
of the former question you were informed at the
time; and the other is now In the way of salts
factory adjustment.
The object os the convention between the
United States and Great Britain of the 18th of
April, 1850, was TO secure, for the benefit of all
nations, neutrality and the common use OF any
Transit way, or interoceanic communication,
across the Isthmus of Panama, which might be
opened within the limits of Central America.
The preteusions subsequently, asserted by Grea;
Britain, to dominion or control over territories
in or near two of the routes, those Of Nicaragua
and Honduras, were deemed by the United
States, not merely incompatible with the main
object of the treaty, but opposed even to its ex-
press stipulations. Occasion Of controversy on
this point has been removed by an additional
treaty, which our minister at London has con
cluded, and which will be Immediately sub
mitted to the Senate for its consideration
should the proposed supplemental arrangement
be concurred in by all the parties to be affected
by it, the objects contemplated by the original
convention will have been fully attained.
The treaty between the United States and
Great Britain, of the 5th of June, 1854, which
went into effective operation in 1856, put an
end to causes of irritation between the two
countries, by securing to the United States the
right of fsl cry on the coast of the British North
American provinces, with advantages equ to
those enjoyed by British subjects. Beside the
signal benefits of this treaty to large cl Of
our citizens engaged in a pursuit connected tc
no inconsiderable degree with our national pros.
perity and strength, it has had favorable ef
feet upon other interests In the provision il
made for reciprocal freedom of trade between
the United States and the British provinces il
America.
The exports of domestic articles to those
provinces during the last year amounted tc
more than twenty-five millions of dollars,
exceeding those of the preceding year by
nearly seven million of dollars aud the i'm.
ports therefrom, during the same period
amounted to more than twenty-one millions
AN increase of six millions upon those o
the previous year.
The improved condition of this branch o.
our commerce is mainly attributable to the
above mentioned treaty.
Provision was made, in the first article o
that treaty, for commission to designat,
the mouths of rivers to which the common
right of fishery, OH the coast of the United
States and the British Provinces, was not t
extend. This commission has been employ
ed part of two seasons, but without much
progress in accomplishing the object for which
it was instituted, in consequence of seriou
difference of opinion between the commits
sioners, not only as to the precise point wher'
the rivers terminate, but in many instances
as to what constitutes a river. These diff
culties, however, may be overcome by resor
to the umpirage provided for by the treaty.
The efforts perseveringly prosecuted sine,
the commencement of my administration, Il
relieve our trade to the Baltic from the ex
action of sound dues by Denmark, have no
yet been attended with success. Other gov
ernments have also sought to obtain lik'
relief to their commerce, and Denmark wa
thus induced to propose an arrangement t.
all the European Powers interested in tn
subject and the manner in which her prop
osition was received, warranting her to be
lieve that satisfactory arrangement witt
them could soon be concluded, she made
strong appeal to this government for tempo
rary suspension of definite action on its pari
in consideration of the embarrassment whicl
might result to her European negotiations b
an immediate adjustment of the question
with the United States. This request ha
been acceded to upon the condition that th
sums collected after the 10th of June las
and until the 18th of June next, from yes
sells and cargoes belonging to our merchants
are to be considered as paid under protes
and subject to future adjustment. There
reason to believe that an arrangement be
tween Denmark and the maratime powers {
Europe on the subject, will be soon conclu
ded, and that the pending negotiation wit
the United States may then be resumed an
terminated in a satisfactory manner.
With Spain no new difficulties have arise
nor has much progress been made IN the ad
justment of pending ones.
Negotiations entered into for the purpos
of relieving our commercial intercourse wit
the Island of Cuba of some of its BURDEN
and providing for the more speedy settlemer
of local diiputes growing out of that intel
course, have not yet been attended with an
results.
n L