The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1856-12-16

market.
The suggestions in this report in regard
| to the complication and progressive cxpan-
! sion of the business Of the different bureaus
| of the departmcut-to the pension system,
! TO the colonization OF Indian tribes, and to
! the Recommendations III relation to va
rious improvements in the District of Col
umbus-are especially commended to your
/ consideration.
The report Of the Postmaster General
presents faiy the condition of that depart
meut Of the government. It's expenditures
/ for the last fiscal wear were ten million four
/ hundred and seven thousand cight hundred
/ aud sixty eight dollars: and its gross re-
ceipts seven million six hundred and TWEEN
/ tv thousand eight hundred and one dollars
/ making an excess of expenditure over
/ receipts Of two million seven hundred and
| eightv-scvcn thousand and forty six dollars.
! The deficiency of this department is thus
! seven hundred and forty-four thousand dol
| lars greater than for the year ending Jnne
80, 1888. OF this deficiency, three hun
! dred and thirty thousand dollars is to be
attributed to the additional compensation
! allowed postmas.crs by the actnf Congress
of Jane ~, lcJ4. The mail facilities i'll
every part OF the country have been very
much Increased in that period, and the
! large addition of railroad service, amount
| ing to seven thousand nine hundred and
eight miles, has added largely to the cost
of transportation.
The imconsidcrable augmentation of the
income ii the Post Office Department I'M
der the reduced rates of postage, and its
increasing expenditures, must, for the
present, make it dependent to some OK
tent upon the treasury for support. The
recommendations of the Postmaster Gcner
| al, in relation to the abolition of the frank
Ing privilege, and his views on the eStab
liShmcnt Of mail steamship lines, deserve
the consideration of Congress. l also call
the special attention of Congress to the
statement of the Postmaster General res
pecting the sums now paid for the trans
portution of mails to the Panama Railroad
Company, and commenced to their early
and favorable consideration the suggestions
of that officer in relation to new contracts
for mail transportation upon that route, and
also upon the Tchuantepec and Nicaragua
routes.
The United States continue in the enjoy
ment of amicable relations with all foreign
powers.
When my last annual message was trans
mittcd to Congress, two subjects of cOntro-
versv-one relating to the enlistment of
soldiers i'll this country for foreign service,
and the other to Central America-threat-
cncd to disturb good Outstanding 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 of the convention between
the United States and Great Britain of the
10Th of April, 1850, was to secure, for the
benefit Of all nations, the neutrality and the
common use of any transit way, or micro
ccamic communication, across the lSthmuS
of Panama, which might be opened within
the limits of Central America. The pre-
tension subsequently asserted by Great
Britain to dominion or control over terrific
rics, in or near two of the routes, those Of
Nicaragua and Honduras, were deemed by
the United States, not merely incOmpati-
bic with the main object of the treaty,
but opposed even to its express stipulatiOns.
Occasion of controversy on this point has
been removed by an additional treaty, which
our minister at London has concluded, and
! which will be Immediately submitted to the
Senate for its consideration. Should the
proposed supplemental arrangement be
comcurrcd in by all the parties to be effect
cd by it, the objects contemplated by the
attained.
The treaty between the United States
and Great Brit@In of the 9TH of June, 1884,
which went into effective operation III 1855.
put an end to causes Of irritation between
the two countries, by securing to the Utnied
States the right Of fishery on the coast of
the British North American provinces, with
advantages equal to those enjoyed by Brit
i>h subjects. Besides the signal benefits
of this treaty to large class of our citizens
engaged in Il pursuit connected to no in
considerable degree with out national pros
pcrity and strength, it has had Il favorable
effect upon other interests in the provision
it made for reciprocal freedom of trade be-
tween the United States and the British
provinces in America.
The exports of domestic articles to those
provinces during the last year amounted to
more thar twenty-five million dollars, cx-
cecding those of the preceding year by
nearly seven million dollars; and the i'm
ports theretrOm during the same period
amounted to more than twenty-one million
an increase of six million upon those of
the previous year.
The improved condition of this branch of
our commerce is mainly attributable to the
aforementioned treaty.
Provision was made in the first article of
the treaty for commission to designate
the mouths Of rivers to which the common
right OF fishery, on the coast of the United
States and thc British provinces, was not
to extend. This commission has been en-
Pioycd part Of two seasons, but wi,nout
much progress in accomplishing the object
for which it was instituted, i'll consequence
of Il serious difference of opinion bet-v,.I
the commissioners, not only as to the pre-
else point where the rivers terminate, but
in many instances as to what constitutes a
river. These difficulties, however, may be
overcome by resort to the umpirage provi-
dcd ftr by the treaty.
The efforts pcrscvcringly prosecuted
since the commencement Of my administra-
ton t" relieve our trade to the Baltic from
the cXaction of Sound dues by Denmark
have not vet been attended with success.
Other governments have also sought TO OBJ
tain a like relief to their commerce. and
Denmark was thus induced to propose an
arrangement to all tile European powers
interested in the subject: and the manner in