New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-01-05
NUMBER 259.
ABSTRACT or DEpARrMEaT REPORTS.


snSPort AZ of the Secretary NJ The Treasury.
e seeretssy does not doubt that tie actual re-
eisi s .s f1easury for the present and the Mext
t r wv rs iuliy equal n fhe estimator II
~ ~ made ut the present session so
sv eIcsed me cofstasie in the 1sf;rntss
ma lnsy ean rs met with the ordinary
law. Ths nn,y lscsps provided tor
ITeasnry On the 3Otls Of Jane next Il suin y 81 ~ ~
oo0 and leaves no margin for adatios,q3 49,
tions. AZ therefore, the appropriations sossiR sTs
TO provide Within this period for tIre IA vrr,s5s "
any porsion OF the public debt, ID wili beccgus
necessary to make provision for such contingency
4 additlonal demands are created upon the Treasu
ry Dy legislation OF the present Congress provisions
/ must be m&de to meet them by such Increase !,
duties as may be required for that purpose n suei
events He respectfully refers Congress To- M ias
report, containing the views Of the Departments 81
thaf subject as no provision has been made sor III,
permanent redemption Of any portion of the tweu
W millions of Treasury notes. and as the authorits
| for issuing them will expire On the y0fh day 3 s
June next il will be necessary for Congress To ex
tend Their redemption for further period
| Report Of the Postm General.
The Postmaster General gives an ifterestfro ~.
count Of the affairs of his department he n3ro.
cafes various reforms, and trusts that Congress
VII give Its express sanction to the specific CON
tract for mails between Portland NJ ana Nat
Orleans, BY voting the necessary appropriatiens.
0r Will indicate for the department sucil cor,rse
Of administration shall warrant il N closi1ss
Win some one Of the proposals which have been
received, and are now held under advisement He
urges action 70 secure suitable posf-ofices in New
4 lork and Philadelphia recommends the re1,eai oY
the clause of the acttof 1858, which declares that
n Ioorwarding ne mails TO foreign countries the
performance shall always be given to an Kmerican 4
over foreign steamers, when departing fregn tIe
same port for the same destination, within three
days Of each other. y sT
Dispatch is the highest element in the mission Of
this department, and hence that legislation which
provides for retardDg instead Of acceleratinp the
mails, may be safely pronounced Mt least ezra
ordinary in Is tscharacter The Post-office Depart
should be selfsustaining, and because of is pecu
iiar character, rs functions should not be cagne
on the common treasury. The Postmaster Cen
erai advocates the abolition of the franking priv
stamps IN which case the abuses would falI where
they belong, on the Government officials nv
whom they We're perpetrated.
with tt, reference TO the mails between Havana
Gaa anu Charies'on and Savannah, the Postmaster
For the lastfive years, the mails between Havana
and Charleston and Savannah have been conveyed
u 2 steamship the Isabel performing semi
monfhiy trips at an annual compensation OF Se6-
U00 authorized by Congress but PAYABLE ont cf the
revenues of the department. The postage raceivs.l
rom these mails during the past year amounted
% puI slo, 051 e. The contract, involving thus
loss ol nearly $4,000 per annum was In its opera
ton Of q most oppressive character, and upon ia
expiration on the 30th Of June, its renewal vas d.
clned. Fortunately for the public interests the
approaching completion Of the Florida Railroad
enabled the department to send these mails across
the peninsula from Fernandna TO Cedar Keys
where they connect with the gulf mail steamers
rom IT, New Orleans and proceed directly on via Key
M nest 70 havana. ihe service out and returning Il
now regularly performed, and costs the depart
ment m only the inland and sea postages.
This results from the fact that the route from
charleston and Savannah via Fernandina and Cedar
haeys e hey west being already in operation for
N.Y. far t5sn4ss
nothing increased by the addition of those forand
from Havana. The substitution therefare Of this
route for that Of the Isabel. Is saving to the de-
partment OF S49,942 34 per anniini This route II
not only preferable to the other on the score Of
economy, but also because it supplies MANY most
offices, whereas the one for which It Is substituted
supplies nut a single intermediate office that of
Key West. The department was urged bp citizens
OF Charleston to extend the contract with the
owner Of the Isabel from commercial considesa-
tons. but did not feel justified in giving to such
considerations the weight claimed for them. This
large subsidy would certainly enable the owner Of
the Isabel to carry freight and passengers at re-
dueed rates. but there be any Constitutional war-
rant for the governments bestowing this adEan-
tage on the inhabitants Of single city, while it is
denied to those Of other cities, such ali advantage
should be sought from the public treasury, and
most assuredly not at the hands Of this depart
ment.
With the embarrassments pressing upon it, and
with the knowledge that there are many comma
mites now having weekly, which desire and de-
serve semi and tri-weekly mails, ana Others with
tri-weekly which entitled to daily service, It
was not possible to devote some $5000o per an
mum OF its revenues to facilitate and cheapen the
transportation of passengers and merchandise be-
tween Charleston and Havana, without fragrant
and culpable derelietion Of duty. No reason Is
perceived why the policy indicated BY the act Of
1858, which fixes the compensation for foreign mail
service performed by American vessels at the inland
and sea p0stages, should not be applicable to this
as to other foreign mails I 1t be insisted that the
steamers touching at Key West determines as do
mestic the portion Of the route between tit point
and Charleston, then we have sl00 057 &c. or the in
land and sea postages, for the transportation Of
the mails between Havana and Key West, and
$40 ,942 3a for their conveyance between the Kew
and Charleston and Savannah, though she latter
part Of the route yields to the department a rev.
enne OF but few hundred dollars. Such an adl-
mnstraton Of the postal fund would be to the last
degree impr0yident and wastefill, as it would be
unjust to the public to which that fund belongs
The expenses for the department for the past
year lending June 3d. have been SIS ,754 092 80 OF
which ~, ,2ge ,0o9 26 remain yet unpaid. The total
revenue was 1868 AS4 07, which is an increase of
six per cent over the previous year. The mail
routes Of the United States embrace 10, ,a0a ,e95
miles of transportation. At the close of the
year there were 2s,539 post-offoes in the United
States.
Report of the Secretary of the Navy.
The Secretary Of the Navy, speaking of the sue
cessful termination of the Paraguay expedition
says the cost OF maintaining the seven purchased
Vessels III cuHliniSSiOua Is NOT much greater than
that Of maintaining single steam frigate. Their
acquisition enables the department to adopt more
efficient measures for the suppression of the Afri-
can slave trade. Since the commencement Of the
present Administration twenty vessels have been
added to the navy. d
Therefore he renews his Recommendation still
further to increase the navy. Instead Of perpetu-
ating old vessels, or expending millions for the
constructing Of few large ships, it Is earnestly
recommended to prosecute with vigor the line of
policy which has been adopted by Congress, and
add much larger number of steamers, which can
be maintained at comparatively small cost. 1t il
source Of extreme modification that we are now
obliged, at times, to sit by passvelY and see, in
some foreign countries American citizens iInpris-
oned, plnndered and murdered, because the Elk
eeutye has not the means to protect or redress
them. He urges an increase in the marine, medi
cal and purser's departments; narrates the opera
tions of the different squatlrons during the pas
year. The department in May last made con
ditional contract with the Chiriqui Improvement
Company and Ambrose w. Thompson, for thu
purpose Of securing a very valuable transit depo
and naval station, and coal privileges in the prov
ince of Chiriqui-a harbor on the Pacific side arls
another on the Atlantic sde-and asks Congress
to make an appropriation of 100000.
Report OF the Secretary OF war.
The Secretary Of War says OF an army of nearl,
500 not more than III 900 are available in acty,
service In the field, which is scattered over an ares
of 5000 600 square miles. He hopes to make suel
an alteration in the disposition Of the troops mex
| season as will prevent any repetition Of the out
| RACES in the future On the Southern and Mexican
| borders. He recommends the enlistment Of mer
Tor the mounted corps for six months, beginning