Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1861-12-12

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE
ISrERIoR.-This report furnishes some
interesting statistics regarding the op-
erations Of the General Land Office,
the business of which. the Secretary
states, has been sensibly affected BY
the decline Of business throughout the
country. On the 30th Of September,
1861, there were 55.555, 595 e5 acres
of the public lands which had been sur
veyed but not proclaimed for public
sale. The lands surveyed and offered
at public sale previous to that time, and
those subject to private entry, amoun-
ted TO 78.669,735 81 acres, making an
aggregate Of public lands surveyed and
ready for sale. of 1874, 4,s18, $50 80
acres. The net income from sales du-
ring the last fiscal year viii hardly
reach the sum of 100000. The
grants of swamp and overfowed lands
to the States have absorbed large
amount Of valuable lands and caused q
heavy drain upon the treasury. The
claims OF the several States cover an
aggregate Of $685. SIT 40 acres
The bounty land warrants and scrip
issued under different acts of Congress,
previous to September 80. 1861, en-
brace an aggregate of 71,717,179 acres
OF land.
The propriety Of issuing bounty land
warrants to the volunteers is. the Sec
retary says.-sa subject of discussion,
and must be determined by Congress.
He expresses his disapproval Of such
grants. for the reason that a warrant
for $50 acres to each volunteer engaged
in the service would absorb over one
hundred millions of acres, and destroy
all hope Of deriving any revenue from
the public lands for many years, at the
same time afording but little benefit
to our soldiers.
Our Indian affairs are described as
being In a very unsettled condition, the
spirit of rebellion having been instilled
into portion Of the Indian tribes by
emisssries from the insurrectionary
States. The payment of annuities to
these Indians has been suspended.
The insurrection of the Southern
States has affected the Patent Office to
very great extent. The receipts
from January to September 80, 1861,
were S1O9,8O l8; and the expendi-
lures were si85. 594 O5, showing an ex-
cess of expenditures over receipts oI
S89,785 81. During the correspond
ing period of the last year the receipts
were s197,3 ,348 40, being s94, $40 9Q
more than the receipts for the same
part of this year.
The Secretary expresses his gratii-
cation at the unprecedented success Of
! the means taken for the suppression oI
the African slave trade. Five vessels
have been seized, tried. and condemned
by the Courts. One SLAYER has been
taken on the coast of Africa with about
nine hundred negroes on board, who
were conveyed to the republic of Ii
IBERIA.
One person has been convicted al
New York as the captain of a SLAYER,
having on board eight hundred cap
tives, and two others, (mates. of a diff
ferent vessel, and another one at Bos-
ton for fitting out 9 vessel for the slave
trade. In the first named case the pen
atty is death; in the other it is fine and
Imprisonment. Hitherto convictions
under the laws prohibiting the slave
trade have been very rare.
The report closes with statement oi
the condition, financial and otherwise,
of the different public institutions in
the District.