Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1862-12-05
WAR AND NAVY REpoRrs

=. WAR AND NAVY, REPoRrs
The reports .pf the SECRETARY &c the Navy
and War, areherewith transmitted. Thes,
reports, though lengthy, are scarcely more
4 than brie: extracts Of the very nusterous and
extensive transactions and operations con
Quoted through these departments, moi
could give a summary of them here upon
any principle which would admit Of its be
ing much shorter than the reports them
selves.
4 THE Q. DErARTAENT.ssr.ra
1t gives me pleasure to report decided
improvement in the financial condition Of
the Post Office Department IS compared Sitf
the several preceding years. The receipts
for the fiscal year 1851 amounted to 6,349,
296. 40 which embraced the revenue from al
States of the Union for the three quarters Of
that year. Notwithstanding the cessation Of
revenue from the SO called Confederate
States during the last fiscal year the in
crease Of the correspondence Of the loya
States has been sufficient to produce reve
nue. during the same year Of SO. 299, S2O, 80
being only $4,000 less than was derived
from all the States Of the Union the previous
year. II ... .''.
i The expenditures show still more favor
able result. The amount expended in 1851
was $l3, sos, 1911 For the last year the
amount has been reduced to $l1, 125,
1854, ID shewinga difference Of about g, 4S7,
600 in the expenditures, as compared with
the preceding year, or about $3,75O,0OO, al
compared with the fiscal year Of 1860.
The deficiency in the department for the
previous year was $4,551, 966,9S. For the
last fiscal year it was reduced to $2.1l2,ST4.
81. These favorable results are, in fact, ow
ing to the cessation of mail conveyance in
the insnrrectionary States. and in part to a
casual review OF all expenditures in that de.
partment, in the interest of economy.
ZIG EFFIclENcY--posrAL CONVENTION.
The efficiency Of the postal service it is
believed has also been much improved. The
Postmaster General also opened cores.
pondence. through the Department Of State,
with foreign Governments, proposing con.
venton Of postal representatives, for the pur-
pose Of simplifying the rates of foreign post
age and to expedite the foreign mails. This
proposition. equally important to our adopt
ed citizens and to the commercial interest Of
this country, has been favorably entertained
and agreed to by all the Governments from
whom replies have been received. ask the
attention Of Congress to the sugg stion Of
the Postmaster General in his report respect
ing the further legislation required in his
opinion for the benefit Of the postal service.
.. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR.
The Secretary of the Interior rrperts as
follows in regard to public lands:
The public lands have ceased to be a source
of revenue. From the LIST Of July. 1861, 10
the 3Oth Of s. ptcmber. 1862. the entire cash
receipts from the sales Of public lands were
$l37, All, ga sum much less than the ex.
penses Of our land system during the same
period. ..
The homestead law, which will take effect
! on the LIST of January next, offers such in.
Queen .ntS to the settlers that sales for cash
canno, be exp .cted to an extent sufficient to
meet the expenses of the General Land Once.
and cost of surveying and bringing the iund
into market. ".. ID.
The discrepancy between the sums here
stated as arising from the sales Of public
lands and the sums derived from the sumo
source AS reported from the Treasury Depart
ment. arises AS Understand. from the fact
that the periods Of time, though apparently,
were not really roncident at the bcgnning
point The Treasury report includes con-
siderable sum nos which hal previously been
reported from the Interior sufficiently lars'
to greatly over reach the sum derived from
the three months now reported upon by tn
Interior and not by the Treasury Depart.
ment
THE INDIAN WAR.
The Indian tribes upon our frontiers have,
during the past year, manifested a spirit Of
insubordinaton, and, at several points, en-
gagged in open hostilties against the Write
settlers in their vicinity. The tribes occupy
ing the Indian country south Of Kansas re-
nounced their allegiance TO the United States,
and entered into a treaty with the insur
gents Those who remained loyal to the
United States were driven from the country
The chief of the CherokeeS has visited this
city for the purpose Of restoring the former
relations Of the tribe with the United States.
He alleges that they were constrained by su.
perior force to enter into treaties with the
insur ,ents, and that the Uni;ed States neg
Iec'ed to furnish the protection which their
stipulation required ... .." '"
THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE.
In the month Of August last, the Sioux
Indians in Minnesota, attacked the settlers
IN their vicinity with extreme ferocity, kill
ing indiScriminately men, women and chill
dren. This attack was wholly unexpected,
and therefore no defence had been provided.
1t was estimated that not less than 800 per-
sons Were killed by the Indians. and large
amount of property was destroyed. How
this outbreak was induced is not definitely
known, and suspicion which may be unjust
need not be stated. ...... .g. 5...,s ..
Information was received by the Indian
Bureau from different sources about the time
hostities were commenced, that simulta
neous attack was 70 be made upon the white
settlements by all the tribes between the Mis-
sissippi river and the Rocky mountains.
The State Of Minnesota has suffered great
injury from the Indian war. A large portion
of her territory has been depopulated, and
severe loss has been sustained by the de-
struction of property. The people of that
state manifest much anxiety for the removal
Of the tribes beyond the limits of the state,
as guarantee against future hostitiss. M
The Commissioner OF Indian affairs will
furnish full details. ~ t.s. .E'. go. .
-aa REHoDDELING or INDIAN system. N
submit for your special consideration
whether our Indian system shall not be re-
modelled. Many wise and good men have