The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-12-06
therefore content myself with laying the re-
ports before you, aud asking your attention to

ports before you, and asking your attention to
them.
rs TIE POST OFFICE DEPARTKEHr.
It gives me pleasure to report decided i'm
provement in the financial condition Of the Post
Once Department % compared with the several
preceding years. The receipts for the fscal year
1861. amounted to $s,S49, 1916 40, which en-
brsced the revenue from oil the States of the
Union for three-quarters of that year. Not
withdrawing the cessation Of revenue from the
o-called Confederate States during the last 6s-
cal year the increase Of the correspondence Of
the loyal States has been sufficient to produce q
revenue during the same year of $500 800 80,
being only Sc, 900 less than was derived from
all the States Of the Union the previous year.
The expenditures show still more favorable
result. The amount expended in 1861, was
$13,6O6,7S H.. For the last year the amount
hes been reduced to $ll ,125, 1854 l3. showing .
difference of about $2,4S7, 900 in the expendi-
lures, Is compared with the preceding year, or
about s., 75O, 900, as compared with the fiscal
year of 1860. bass
The deficiency for the department for the pre-.
vious year was S4,55l ,906, 80. For the last rs
cal year it was1reduced to 81, l12,Sl4,57. These
favorable results are, in fact, owing to the Gee.
sation of mail conveyance in the insurrectioDary
States, and in part to casual review of all
expenditures in that department, in the interest
Of economy. a3.
IFyICIEHCY-PoSTAL CONVENTION.
The efficiency Of the postal service, it is be
leved, has also been much improved. The
Postmaster General also opened correspond.
ence, through the Department of State, with for
eigu Governments, proposing q convention of
postal representatives, for the purpose of simpli
flying the rates Of foreign postage and to expe-
dite the foreign malls. This proposition, equal
ly important to our adopted citizens and to the
commercial interests of this country, has been
favorably entertained and agreed to by all the
ceived. ask the attention of Congress to the
suggestion of the Postmaster General in his re-
port respecting the further legislation required
in his opinion for the benefit of the postal ser.
vice.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
The Secretary of the Interior reports as follows
in regard to public lands:
s'The public lands have ceased to be q source
of revenue. From the lst,of July, 1861, to the
3Oth of September, 1852, the entire cash receipts
from the sales of public lands were $l37, 477,26
IA SUM much less than the expenses of our land
system during the same period"
The homestead law, which will take effect on
the 1st of January next, offers such inducements
to settlers, that sales for cash cannot be expect.
ed to an extent sufficient to meet the expenses
of the general land Office, and cost of surveying
and bringing the land into market.
The discrepancy between the sums here stated
as arising from the sales of public lands and the
sums derived from the same source as reported
from the Treasury Department, arises as un-
derstand, from the fact that the periods of time,
though apparently, we're not really coincident at
kba haUs ~ Tho IT, 80,
cludes considerable sum now which had previ~
ously been reported from the Interior, sufficiently
large to greatly overreach the sum derived from
the three months now reported upon by the In
terror, and not by the Treasury Department. =.
THE INDIAN WAR. ,gtHa
The Indian tribes upon our frontiers have, du
ring the past year, manifested spirit of insub.
ordination, and, at several points, engaged in
open hostiities against the white settlers in their
vicinity. The tribes occupying the Indian ccun-
try south of Kansas renounced their allegiance
to the United States, and entered into treaty
with the insurgents. Those who remained loyal
to the United States, were driven from the coun.
try, The Chief of the Cherokees has visited this
city for the purpose of restoring the former rela.
tons of the tribe with the United States. He
alleges that they were constrained by superior
force to enter into treaties with the insurgents,
and that the United States neglected to furnish
the protection which their treaty stipulation re.
quired. aat1 a.p
THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. w
In the month of AngGst last, the Sioux In
dams in Minnesota attacked the settlers in their
vicinity with extreme ferocity killing indiscrim-
inately men, women and children. This attack
was wholly une expected, and therefore no defense
bad been provided. It is estimated that not
less than 800 persons were killed by the Indians,
and large amount of property was destroyed.
How this outbreak was induced is not definitely
known; snd suspicious, which may be unjust,
need not be stated. ~ Iaaa eFa- .9f
Information was received by the Indian Bu-
reau from different sources, about the time hos
tities were commenced, that Simultaneous
attack was to be made upon the white settle
menss by all the tribes between the Mississippi;
River and the Rocky Mountains. a.s -.
The State of Minnesota has suffered great in
jury from the Indian war. A large portion of
her territory has been depopulated, and severe
loss has been sustained by the destruction of
property. The people of that State manifest
much anxiety for the removal of the tribes be-
yond the limits Of the State, as a guarantee
against future hostilities. 80 # ga
The Commission Of Indian Affairs will furnish
full details lai4 ~ GH
kAAoUBLlNG CT INDIAN SYSTEM.
submit tor your special consideration whe-
ther our Indian system shall not be remodeIed.
Many wise and good men have been impressed
with the belief that this can be proftably done.
PACIFIC RAILROAD AND THE SHIP CANALS. 80
( lsubmit a statement of the proceedings of
the commissioners, which shows the progress
hat has been made in the enterprise Of construct
ing the Pacific Railroad and thus suggests the
earliest completion Of the road, and also the ia
vorable action of Congress upon the project
now pending before them for enIarg,ng the ca
pacisies Of the great canals in New York and
illinois. as being of vital and rapidly increasing
importance to the whole nation, and especially
to the vast interior region hereinafter to be no
ticed at some greater length.
propose having prepared and laid before you
at an early day some interesting and valuable
statistical Information upon this subject The
military and commercial importance Of enlareinp
the Illinois and Michigan Canal and improving
the Illinois River, is presented in the report Of
Col. Webster to the Secretary of War, and now
transmitted to Congress- respectfully ask your
attention to it ~ =
THE AGRICULTURAL BUREAU.
To carry out the provisions Of the act Of
Congress Of the 18th Of May last, I hS7se csus-
"