The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1862-12-10

would admit or Its being much enorter
than the Reports themselves. | there
fore content myself with laying the Re-
ports before you, and asking your atten-
ton to them.
It gives me pleasure to report decid-
ed improvement in the financial condition
of the Post Office Department as compared
with several preceding years. The re-
ceipts for the fiscal year 1851 amounted
to $8S49 ,296 40, which embraced the
revenue from all the States of the Union
for three-quarters of that year. Not
withstanding the cessation of revenue
from the so-callsd Seeded States during
the last fiscal year, the increase of tho cor
respondence of the loyal States has been
sufficient to produce revenue during the
same year of SS, ,299, 800 90, being only
$50, 900 less than was derived from all
the States of the Union during the pre-
vious year. The expenditures show a
still more favorable result. The amount
expended in 1861 was Sl3, ,6O6,759 IL.
For the last year the amount has been re-
duced to Sl1, 1856 Is, showing a de-
crease of about 81, ,491,0 900 in the expen-
ditures as compared with the preceding
year, and about S3,750,000 as compared
with the fiscal year 1860. The defcien
cy in the Department for the previous
year was S4,551, ,966 90. For the last
fiscal year it was reduced to So, H. ,Sl4-
Sc. These favorable results are, in part,
owing to the cessation of mail service in
the insurrectionary States, and in part to
casual review of all expenditures in that
Department, in the interest of economy.
The efficiency of the Postal service it is
believed has also been much improved.
The Postmaster General also opened a
correspondence, through the Department
of State, with foreign Governments, pro.
posing a convention of Postal Represen.
tatives for the purpose of simplifying the
rates of foreign postage and to expedite
the foreign mails. This proposition,
equally important to our adopted citizens
and to the commercial interests 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
suggestions of the Postmaster General in
his Report respecting the further legisla-
tion required, in his opinion, for the ben
eft of the postal service.
The Secretary of the Interior reports
as follows in regard to the public lands /:
':The Public Lands have ceased to be a
source of revenue. From the 1st of July,
1861, to the 30th September, 1869, the
entire cash receipts from the sale of lands
were Sl37 ,476 26, sum much less than
the expense of our land system during
the same period. The Homestead Law,
which will take effect on the lst of JAN
uary next, offers such inducements to set
tiers that sales for cash cannot be expected
to an extent sufficient to meet the expen-
es of the General Land Office, and the
cost of surveying and bringing the land
into market.
The discrepancy between the sum here
stated as arising from the sales of the
public lands and the same derived from
the same source as reported from the
Treasury Department, arises, as under.
stand, from the fact that the periods of
time, though apparently were not really
conincident at the beginning point, the
Treasury Report, including considerable
sum now which had previously been
reported from the Interior, sufficiently
large to greatly overreach the sum derived
from the three months now reported upon
by the Interior, and not by the Treasury.
The Indian tribes upon our frontiers
have, during the past year, manifested a
spirit of insubordination, and at several
points have engaged In open hostilities
against the white settlements IN their
vicinity. Thetribes occupying the Indian
country south of Kansas renounced their
allegiance to the United States, and
entered into treaties With the insurgents.
Those who remained loyal to the United
States were driven from the country
The Chief of the Cherokee 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 superior force to enter
into treaties with the insurgents, and that
the United States neglected to furnish
the protectiod which their treaty stipu-
lations required.
In the month of August last, the Sioux
Indians, in Minnesota, attacked the SET
Elements in their vicinity with extreme
ferocity, killing, Unfortunately, men,
women, and children. This attack was
wholly unexpected, and therefore, no
means of defense had been provided. 1t
is estimated that no less than 800 persons
we're killed by the Indians, and large
amount of property was destroyed. How
this outbreak was induced is not def
nitely known, and suspicious, which may