The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-12-06

of honesty, cspability and fidelity, and antici-
pates more public satisfaction and administrative
success from the adoption of such . principle
than from any other single act of reform. He
uses this language: aF
1t is my intention to adhere firmly to my de-
termination to displace incompetence and indif-
ference wherever found in official position under
my control, without any discrimination in favor
of appointments myself have made under mis-
information of facts. Z
The document, 20 . whole, will be read with
unusual interest, and contains numerous sugges-
tions of great importance to this branch Of the
public service. as ac su
Report Of the Secretary Of the Interior.
In the report Of the Secretary of the Interior
to the President is embodied the report Of the
Land Office Commissioner. The latter officer,
in his discussion OF the act of Congress, author
iziDg the construction of the Pacific Railroad,
makes the following remarks upon the aa
REsoURcEs OF THE COUNTRY. 'T
Coal is found in great variety and abundance
between the Mississippi and the Pacific. That
important element, SO essential for domestic,
me chanical, and for navigation purposes affect
ing our vast internal intercourse and trade, and
prominent subject Of interest to our people The
extent of the twelve coal bearing States east of
the Mississippi holds but small proportion to
the immense coal fields west of that region, as
We have information reporting the existence of
coal in Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado Ne
vsds, Utah, California, Oregon and W Washington.
A railroad about six miles long, ia projected
from the San Joaquin, extending south toward
the Mount Diablo, for the transportation of coal
from the mines there, designated as the Pitts
burg, Union and Eureka. Discoveries of coal
have been made at Bellingham Bay, Washington
Territory. This coal contains Q very large
amount Of oxygen, and but little hydro carbon;
80 much SO that it gives off comparatively but
little combustible luminous gas or smoke, and
appears to be almost as difficult Of ignition as
semi anthracite. .-s-.-.. ....
It regarded az fuel superior to any tertiary
of the Western States, taking q high rank as q
fuel in comparison with ordinary lignises
Then there are the Willamette river and Cape
Flattery Goals, belonging to the Ignite type, and
serviceable for the smelling of iron and for ordi-
nary fuel, some of the Cape Flattery coal being
| reported as pretty good for steamboats,.
In Nevada good coal has been discovered in
the neighborhood of Dayton, formerly China
Town, and superior specimens have reached here
from Colorado, showing the wealth of that Ter
ritory in this great industrial agent
The great suriferous region of the United
States, on the western portion of the continent,
stretches from the 49th deg. north latitude and
Puget Sound to 81 deg. 80 min. parallel, and
from the l02d deg. of longitude west of Green
wich to the Pacific Ocean, embracing portions of
Dakotab, Nebraska, Colorado, all of New Mexico,
With Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon
N yooh; Drtor Tar In loos, "a
as comprising II degrees Of latitude or breadth
Of 100 miles from north to south, and of nearly
equal longitudinal extension, making an area of
more than million of square miles.
This vast region is trsversed from north to
south, fret, on the Pacific side by the Sierra
Nevada and Cascade Mountains, then by the
Blue and Humboldt; on the east by the double
ranges of the Rocky Mountains, embracing the
Wasatch, the Wind River chain, and the Sierra
Misunderstanding longitudinslly and in lateral
crossed and linked together by interven-
ing ridges, connecting the whole system by FIVE
principal ranges, dividing the country into an
equal number Of basins, each being nearly sur.
rounded by mountains, and watered by mountain
streams and snows-thereby interpreting this
immense Territory with bodies of agricultural
lands equal to the support not only Of miners,
but Of dense population.
mineral gold and silver being interspersed in
profusion over this immense surface, and daily
brought to light by new discoveries. The pre-
cious metals are found imbedded in mountains
of quartz, rich washings marking the pathway
of rivers and foods.
Beside their wealth in gold, no part of the
world is so rich in silver mines as Nevada and
New Mexico; yet these may be estimated as
only in proportion to the gold fields, which are
in process Of development with amazing re-.
suits. The recent discoveries in the Colorado,
or southern portion Of California, aud in the
region stretching thence away up to, and
north of, the Salmon River in Washington Ter.
ritory, are every day stimulating the mining
ent fprise of our people.
Plior to the gold discoveries in 1S4S at SUIT.
ler's Race, in California. the gold product of
the world was only an annual average Of $18,.
600, 900, about four times the aggregate gold
product Of the world prior to 1S4S, and that
sum may be set down as the present average
from that State alone. If we compare the
known gold Fl Ids elsewhere in our public do
main with the yield of California we would
have, if an equal ratio of labor was applied.
An annual value of between $500, OOO, 600 and
$500, 0O0,O
Even in the distant Territory of Washington,
the extreme mosaic block of the Union, the
product of the Salmon River Mines has been
estimated at 100000 the present year
the Developments there, too, having been made
under every disadvantage; first, in season of
unusual severity with deep snow; next, in re-.
stricted facilities Of travel into the interior, and
with inadequate labor, and in times of domes-
tie turmoil.
An immense revenue may be readily obtained
by subjecting the public mines either to lease,
under quarterly payments or quarterly tax, a.