The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-12-08

given they have been made on very adyantaseou
terms. The supply Of beef for the army In Utal
ahu tue intermediate posts has coat less than III,
ruling prices In New York or any of the Atlapti,
cities at the same periods. The beef delivered IL
utah cost no more than eight dollars aud aft,
cents per hundred, nett at Fort Laramie seven dol
lare ana a half per hundred, melt, whilst the sup
ply delivered at Fort Leavenworth, of the fattes
and must superior quality of corn-fed beef coz
oniy SIX dollars and twenty-five cents per hun
dred, 9sa
Ihe Secretary asks for appropriations to con
struct suitable military works al Willet's poin
and Fort Richmond. The military road from For
SMITH TO the Colorado, is noariy fBisheJ
Tue camels have proved exceientiy adapted tt
army use, aud will DO especially useful whilst en-
saseu in expeditions aaainst the rowing tribes O
.ae piains. In ail these movements camels coulc
oe used, no doubt, to very great advantage, I,
ihe space OF three days a we'll appointed com,
manu- could set out and traverse a space of one
aanufeo shd hity miles without difficulty or much
ise'sue, and iail upon any Indian tribe perfectly
Gnawares. They would Do able to carry all ne
sesssfy supplies for the campaign, aud traverss
me arid plains without any Inconvenience from
want OF water. The superiority of the camel owe,
'ne morse would soon become 80 manifest for al
movements upon the plains and deserts, that hos.
tile Indians In those regions would soon come tc
understand the hoFelessness Of escape by fight
ana the folly of marsuding where chas,isemep
was certain. He recommends the purchase Of
1000 camels.
The School Of Artillery at Old Point has answer
ed expectations, and the purchase of piece o,
land in the vicinity to catch the balls Mt long
range target practice is recommended. In army
government he recommends union of the corn O,
Engineers with the Typographical Engineers
and the appointment of three additional Brigadier
Generals. The estimated expenses of the army
tor the next fiscal year, are S91G0, AIS less than
the present.
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE INTE-
RIOR
This comprises twenty-six closely printed
pages, and embraces great variety Of valuable
matter. The Secretary first refers to the subject
OF public lands. which he regards matter OF
greater magnitude than any other within the
administration of his Department. After speaking
of the excellepcies of our pubic-land system gen.
orally, which he regards as the most conducive to
their rapid settlement and reclamation from a
wild aud uncutivated condition, that could be
framed, be anmadverts at considerable length on
the practice of making donations of public lands
to actual settlers, after residence thereon OF a
specified term of years; as was the with the
lands of Oregon and Washington Territories and
the State of Florida. This system WAS adopted
with view to ensure speedier settlement of the
lands, than would obtain under the usual laws for
presumption aud entries. Practically, however,
it has not had the desired effect.
The Secretary next prese nts a brief summary OF
the operations of the General Land Office, which
shows that during the fiscal year ending June 80.
1858, 3,S04 9IS arces of the public lands sold
for cash, yielding S2,116,16S, aud $500, 153 acres
were located with military bounty land warrants
The unexpected diminution in the cash sales is
accounted for by the fact that the public sales in
several of the Territories were postponed, because
tue unpropitious season and financial disturbance
had deprived the settlers of opportunity to raise
money to buy with; and to have prosecuted the
sales would have been doing them great ipjury.
The quantity of land surveyed and ready TO be
brought into market in September was 81 95l 049
acres and that subject to sale at private entry
over SO, ,000, 900 acres. view Of the operations
under the bounty land laws, and swamp and rail.
road grants. is next given. The Secretary recon-
mends the extension of :he land laws over Utah,
aud the restoring TO market OF land set apart for
Indians, but not occupied by them. He also re.
comneGds the passage OF general laws respecting
the mineral lands. suggesting that those contain
ing the precious metal be reserved from sale for
the use s0d occupancy of the people of the United
States under wholesome regulations. He also re-
commeuds that instead of allowing pre-emptions
to mail contractors for location for stage stands
on routes through the Territories, that such
stations be reserved by the Government for the
use of successive contractors. The graduation
lsrd laws of 1854 are disapproved Of, as being a
fruitful source Of fraud aud annoyance.
OF the Indian affairs the Secretary mentions
that, with trif1iug exceptions, the tribes with
which We have treaties have kept their faith and
refrained from hostiities; the difficulties having
bern prime ipaly with those tribes. the treaties
with whom have not yet been ratified. The Sc
tary ecommends that lbs, cad of large reservaI
tions being set apart for the Indians of tribe, in
common, the laud be distributed to them individ-
uaiIy; aud that, rather than divide the aunuities
per cUpitd among them, the mouey be speut for
supplying them with stock implements of civil
ized life, and n teaching them agriculture and the
mechanic arts. The removal of Indian tribes is
spoken of disparagingly, as it unsetles and dsin'
cues them TO habits Of industry; and the opiu ion
is advanced that the experiment of cvizing the
Indians has been very imperfectly tested and that
the substitution of other plans would not fail OF
having the desired effect.
The Secretary also refers at considerable length
TO the operations of the Pension Bureau, Patent OF
fee, and other divisions of his Department, but az
there recommendations for legislative ins
reference of general importance connected with
subjects treated Of uuder those headings, further
than that Of an equalization of the Army and Ma.
Wy pensions. we pass them by, for the present. A
lengthy chapter on the District of Columbia, pos
sessng great local interest, is alluded to.
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY
This document, which fills fifteen pages, ia also
highly interesting. 1t opens with an account of
the arrest of Walker in Nicaragua, and follows
this with a sketch of the operations to prevent
the visitation and search of American vessels by
British war steamers, aud statement of the pro.
gress made in the Paraguay expedition. The Sec
retary recommends the purchase Of the steamers
now chartered for that purpose, as the additional
COST beyond that which will have to be paid for
their charters will be only $l49 200 for the six
propellers, and $2l7 200 for the three side.wheel
steamers.
The fitting out of the expedition under Lieut..
Brooke, to survey the routes across the Pacific,
from San Francisco to China and to prepare charts
thereof, is next noticed, ard then follows short
tces of the capture of the SLAYER Echo the laying
of the Atlantic cable, the capture of the ketch
yacht "Brothers" the return to Africa Of the Echo
cargo Of slaves &c.
The five steam sloopscfwar authorized to be
built bT the act of March g. 1857 il is stated will
soon be completed. They are all of the tirstclass
soops, aud will be swift and effective for the
vice. The seven steam screw slOops-ofwar and
the side wheel steamer, authorized by the act of
June, 1883, also in state OF great forwardness
Five OF them will be launched this month, and
already for sea May next and the other two will be
launched next spring, and ready for trial by June.
The side wheel steamer will be finished August
next. The plan of construction of all these has
teen with view to make them most seryiceabie
and of hi CHEST speed.
The Secretary urges the importance of further
increase of the Navy, and recommends that au-
thority be given for the construction of at least
ten more steamers of light draft. The enlarge
ment and improvement of the Naval Academy at
Annapolis is also recommended, and the deficiency
of miishipmen and officers in the service urged
as an argument in its favor Several other recon-
mepdations are made, among which may be emu
merated the addition OF % Surgeons, 20 Assistant
Surgeons, and Is or 20 PnrseIs, and the increase
Of the Marine Corps to 1000 privates from l,56S.
the present Dumber. After stating various other
matters OF interest, TO nearly ali cl Wnlcn, now.
ever, allusons have already been made in the
newspapers, the report concludes with account
of the expenditures of the Department. For the
fiscal year ending June 80, 1850, the estimates
sl3, ,500,3 so So including $614,000 for completing
the eight light draught steamers, and not iuciH-
ding the usual compensation of 1884 $50 for steam
ship mail service; which is less than the estimates
for 1859 by about s., 100000.
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE TREA.
SURY.
This is q lengthy dochment,an contains large
utityof statistical matter Owing to the deple-
SION of the Treasury, there has been no little
speculation concerning it; and the mooted altera-
.ion of the tariff law has excited great deal Of
interest everywhere, and generated intense anxie>
ty in some circles. From the array of facts pre-
septed by the Secretary, it seems evident that
there has already been sufficient revival of trade
to insure, under the existing tariff law, au sde-
little titne: hut the estima afe for