Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1861-12-13

OF fnE REPORT OF rnE SECRETARY or 1nE
INTERIOR.

much diminished by the war. tl
GENERAL LAND OFFICE.
Tho public lands have ceased substan-
italy for tho present, at least, to be source
ofrevenue to The Government, The net
income from the sales tho last fiscal year
will hardly reach the sum Of 5000, ,Ooo.-
During the year sos,s7l acres werO certi-
fed to Minnesota, 635,o6l to Michigan,
and 10, $50 acres to Louisiana, for railroad
construction under acts Of Congress. The
whole amount certified 20 all tho States,
under such grants, is o,99s, ,497 acres. The
claims Of the several States, under the
grant Of swamp and overhowed lands
many Of them valuablo-cover 57,so5, ,577
acres.
On Sept. 80, there were 55,555,595.25
acres Of the public lands which had been
Surveyed bat not proclaimed for public sale.
The lands surveyed and offered ut public
sale previous TO that time, and then sub.
ject TO private entry, amounted to 1902
1864 acres, making an aggregate Of pub
lie lands surveyed and ready for sale of
l64, 4,219,3 9,33O.99 acres.
During the fiscal year ending June 80,
1861, and the first quarter Of the current
year, ending September 80, 1861, $780,
532.3l acres have been disposed Of. OF
this amount, 1927, ,4s377 acres have been
certified to the Stntes of Minnesota, Mich
igan, and Louisiana, under railroad grants
made by Congress; 6O6,O74.47 acres have
been certified to States as swamp lands; q
153,940 acres have been located with
bounty land warrants, and l,50s,O0407
acres have been sold for cash, producing
$925,299.42.
The bounty land warrants and script is
sued under different acts Of Congress, pro-
vious to Sept 80, 1861, embrace an aggre-
gate Of II ,717,172 acres of land. OF this
amount there have been located: For revo-
lutionary services, s,20o,6l2 acres; for SER
vices in tho war with great Britain, 1885,
12o acres for Canadian volunteers, 1880
acres for services in the Mexican war and
other services, under the acts of l947, 1850
1852, and 1855, in oil 51,l3s,97o acres
leaving yetto be located on warrants anc
script, already issued, 7,454, ,72o acres.
Unless Congress shall authorize tho ISSUE
of additional warrants, this drain upon tho
public lands will soon cease.
The propriety of issuing bounty land
warrants to the volunteers who have been
called into service to suppress the existing
insurrection, is already subject of discus
sion, and must be determined by Congress
A warrant for 16o acres to each volunteer
engaged in the service would absorb over
one hundred millions of acres-a much
larger amount than has been issued under
all previous laws. II is evident that the is
sue of such an amount of warrants would
destroy all hopo of deriving any revenue
from the public lands, at least for many
years. And while such measure would
deprive the Government of all income from
this source, it would afford but little benef
TO the volunteers. These warrants are nov
sold in the market at about so cents pc
acre. An addition of the large amour
necessary to supply the volunteers woul,
necessarily reduce the price of them to
merely nominal sum.
I INDIAN AFFAIRS.
Our Indian affairs are reported in very
unsettled and unsatisfactory condition
The rebels have seduced aDumber of tribe.
into the revolt, and the large tribes oil
Cherokees, Chckasaws, and Choctaws, have
suspended all intercourse with the agents
of the United States:
The tribes upon the Pacific slope of the
Rocky Mountains have manifested turbu
lent spirit, bat have committed no acts oI
violence.
Much trouble has been experienced il
New Mexico from depredations committed
by some Of the tribes in that Territory
The presence Of military force in tina
Territory is indispensable to preserve th'
peace and cause the Indians TO respect th'
| laws.
The tribes in Kansas and Nebraska, anC
I in the States of the North-West, are grad
ualIy progressing in the arts of civilization
The plan of allotting portions of their res
Iervations TO the individual members of thC
tribes has been found by experience 10 re
suit benefcially. Many of them have i'm
proved their lands and become quite pro
ficient as farmers.
PATENT OFFICE.
No branch of the public service connect
ed with this department has been so mucl
affected by the insurrection of the Souther
States as that of the Patent Office.
The receipts Of the Office from Jan.
Sept. 80, 1861 ; were $lo2,eos 10; and tb
Expenditures were $Is5,59 05, showin
an excess of expenditures over receipts 9
$s2, 1882 81. e
During tho corresponding period of III,
last year the receips were 1878 40, be
ing $94,s4o % more than the receipts 70
the same part of this year. During tn
same period 1914 applications for patents
and 81 0 caveats have been fled, 1851 pat
ents have been issued, and patents hav
been extended. |.
PENSION OFFICE.
The report ofthc Commissioner of Pen
sions furnishes in detail, the operations o
this bureau during the past year. Th
number Of pensions has diminished, durin,
tho year, SIS, and tho amount required {,