Des Arc citizen., 1858-12-25
REPORTS OF THE SECRETARIES.

reports or tue oecrelaIY ol tHe NaVy anu the Secretary of the Treasury:
 REPORT OF TIE SECRETARY or THE NAvY.-This document, which fills fifteen pages, is highly interesting. It opens with an account of the arrest of Walker in Nicaragua, and follows this with Q sketch of the operations to prevent the visitation and search of American vessels by British war steamers, and statement oI the progress made Tn the Paraguay expedition. The Secretary recommends the purchase of the steamers now char tered for that purpose as the additional cost, beyond that which will have to be paid for their charters, will be only Sl49, 200 for the six propellers, and SPY ,OO0 for the three side-wheel steamers.
 The fitting out of the expedition under Lieut.. Brooks, to survey the routes across the Pacific, lroM San Francisco to China, and To prepare charts thereof, Is next mo- liced, and then follows short notices of the capture of the slayer Echo, the laying of the Atlantic cable, the capture of the ketch or yacht Brothers" lhe return to Africa of the Echo cargo of slaves, Sc. .s.,st.
 The five steam sloops- -of-war authorized 10 be built by the act of March 3, 1857, it Is stated will soon be completed. They are all of the first class sloops, and will be swift and effective for the service. The seven steam screw sloops- of-war and the side wheel steamer, authorized by the act of June, 1858, are also in a state of great forwardness. Five of them will be launched this month, and ready for sea in May next, and the other two will be launched next spring, and ready for trial by June The side.wheel steamer will be finished by August next. The plan of construction of all these has been with a view 10 make them most seryiceabe and of highest speed.
 The Secretary urges the importance Of further increase of the Navy, and re- comments that authority be given for the construction of at least ten more steamers of light draft. The enlargement and i'm provement of the Naval Academy al l Annapolis Is also recommended, and the deficiency of midshipmen and officers in the service urged as an argument in its favor. Several other recommendations are made, among which may be enumer- ated the addition of 20 Surgeons, 20 As. sstant Surgeons, and l5 or 20 Pursers and the increase of the Marine Corps to |2,000 privates from 1868, the presen, number. Alter stating various other mat ters of interest, to nearly all of which however alusons have already beer made ln the newspapers, tue report con- cludes with an aceoun! of the expenditures of the Department for the fiscal year end ing June 30, 1860, the estimates are $l3,- 50O,370 80 including $674, ,000 for com pleting the eight light draft steamers, and not including the usual compensation of $935, $50 for steamship mail service which is less than the estimates for 1858 by about $l 100000.
 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF Tnr TREAsuny.-This is lengthy document and contains large quantity of statis tcal matter. Owing to the depletion o l the Treasury, there las been no little speculation concerning it; and the mooet alteration of the tariff law has excited a great deal of interest everywhere, and generated intense anxiety in some circles From the array of facts presented by the Secretary 1t seems evident that there has Ialready been sufficient revival of trade Ito insure, under the existing tariff law, ar adequate revenue in little time 1; but the estimate for the ensuring year apprehendS a deficiency of $7,9l4 576 Deeming a loan inadvsable, the Secretary suggests that the only remedy is a modification of the tariff, and adds that the same prlnci- pie should apply in making these modifi' cations that would have influence 1T framing an original tariff law.
 The Secretary estimates the whole ex. Ipenditure of ,be Government, for the year ending June 30, 1860. at S73 ,947 46 of which only S52, ,24l.3l5 6S are for the regular expenses; SS,497,724 50 fol specific appropriation such as the collec- ton of revenue. mail services. armlne the militia, civilizing the Indians, and payment of interest on the public debt and SIP .47S, ,907 2S for existing appro. prialions for the present year, which will not be drawn from the Treasury until af- ter June 30, 1860. These estimates compare with those for the present year as follows: D.lty.t For tS59.... ...... .,f.'' ...'. ST4,0b4, 755 " For 1S60...... ...... ...,.. .... 73,217 ,911 4t
 'llhr -------
 Diminution for 1S60... S46S0S 57
 When its recoIlected that the expen- ses of the Utah and Paraguay expedi- lions, and the interest on the new public debt, have to be deducted from tbe ag- grega,e for the next year, 1t will appear that there has been an actual decrease in the expenditures under the present Ad- ministration.
 DEATH FROM WANT OF SLEEP.-The question, how long can person exist without sleep, is one oftener asked than answered, and the difficulties and inhu- manity of answering the question by ex- pertinent would seem to leave it ever un- solved A recent communication to a