Kanawha Valley star. [volume] (Charleston, Va. [W. Va.]) 1856-1861, 1856-12-23

leave of absence Of few months
without cessation of pay, is highly
beneficial III its influence. The ap
prentice system recently adopted i:
levident!y destined to incorporate lit,
! the service a large uumber Of our
countrymen hitherto too diftfcnlt Il
| procnrc. Several hundred American
boys arc now on three years cruise
IN our rational vessels, and will re
turn well-trained seamen. In the.or-
dnance department there is tlecld
Ell and gratifying indication Of, pro.
gross creditable to it and the country.
The suggestions OF the Secretary Of
the Navy in regard to further i'm.
Eprovcment inthat branch of the ser
vice l commend to your favorable ac-
ton. s"#s. @--
7 The new frigates ordered by Con
gress are now afoat, and two OF them
in service. They arc superior models
l>ot naval architecture, and with their
formidable battery add largely to pub
lie strength and security. ~
i concur with the views expressed
by the Secretary of the Department
in favor of a still further increase OF
our naval force. ~ ! ill.,.
The report Of the Secretary of the
Interior presents facts and views in
relation to internal affairs over which
the supervision of his department ex.
tends, ofmuch interest ana inpor-
lance. /
The aggregate sales of the public
lands, during the last ticaI year, amount
to nine million two hundred and TWEEN
| ty-seven thousand eight hundred sew
enty eight acres for which has been
ttreceivedthe sum Of eight million eight
hundred and twenty one thousand tour
hundred and fourteen dollars. Du-
ringth same period there have been
located, with military scrip and4and
warrents, and for other purposes,
! thirty million one hundred thousand
two hundred and thirty acres, thus
making total aggregate OF, thirty
nine million three hundred and TWEEN
ty-eight thousand one hundred and
eight acres. On the 30th of Septcm-
Der last, surveys had been made OF
sixteen million eight hundred and
seventy-three thousand six hundred
and ninety-ll3ne acres, a large pro
: portion ofwhich is ready for market.
| The suggestions in this report in re-
gard to the complication and progres-
! sive expansion Of the business Of the
different bureaus Of the department.
! TO the pension system, to the cOloni-
cation Of Indian tribes. and to the
recommendations in relation to vari7
Gus improvements in the District OF
Columbia-are especially commend
Icl to Your consideration.
The rePort.o1 the Postmaster Gen
seral presents fully the Condition oil that
departmental the government. Its
expenditures for the last fiscal year
were ten million four. huitIrt@l and
seven tlroH,"rI eight hundred anjsiN
ty-cigh. dol.ura; AMI its gross receipts
seven million six hundred and twen-
ty thousand Anl tortv-six dollars
Tic deficiency OF this department is
thus seven hundred aud tVrtv-iour
thousand dollars greater than for the
year ending june 30, 1858. OF this
deficiency, three hundred and thirty
thousand dollars is to be attributed
to the additional compensation allow
ed postmaster by the act Of Congress
of June %, 1855. The mail faculties
in'every part ofthe country have been
very much increased in that period.
and the large addition of railroad SER
vice, amounting to seven thousand
nine hundred and eight miles, has
added largely to the cost of transpor-
tation. - 49,.
The inconsidcrable augmentation
of the income of the Post Office De
partment under the reduced rates of
postage, and its increasing .eXpendi-
lures, must, for the present, make it
dependent to some extent upon the
treasury fol support. The rccommen-
dations Of the Postmaster General, in
relation to the abolition Of ranking
privilege, and his views on the cstab-
iishment of mail steamship lines, de-
serve the consideration of Congress.
| also call the attention Of Congress
to the statement of the Postmaster
General respecting the sums now
paid for the transportation OF mails to
the Panama Railroad Company, and
commend to their early and favorable
consideration the suggestions OF that
officer in relation to new contracts Tor
mail transportation upon that route,
and alsoupon the Tehuantepcc u Mic.
aragua routes. ;
The United States continue in the
enjoyment of amieable relations with
all foreign powers.
When my last annual message
was transmitted to Congress, two sub
iects ofcontroversy-one relating to
the enlistment Of soldiers in this coun-
try for a foreign service, and the 9th
er to Central America-th threatened
1. 7 l-..fl inu bntUapu