, 1862-12-20

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tention of Congress to the suggestion the Post
master General, in his report, respecting the fur
ther legislation required in his opinion, for the
benefit of the postal service.
THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT
The Secretary of the Interior reports as fol-
lows, in regard to the public lands The public
lands have ceased to be a source Of public reve-
nue.. From the lst of July, 1861, 10 the 3Oth Of
September 1862, the entire cash receips from the
sales of public lands were Sl37,477 26, 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 to
such cannot be expected to an extent sufficient to
meet the expenses of general land offices and
cost Of surveying and bringing the land into mar
ket. The discrepancy between the sums here
stated, as arising from the sale of public lands,
and the cum derived from the same source, as
reported from the Treasury Department. arises,
as | understand, from the fact hat the periods Of
time, though apparently So were not really coin
cident at the beginning point. The Treasury re-
port includes considerable sum now which had
previously been reported from the Interior De
partment, sufficiently large to greatly overreach
the sum derived from the three months now re-
ported upon by the Interior and not by the Ireus-
ury Department.
INDIAN BosTLTIEs. "
The Indian tribes upon our frontiers during
the past year manifested spirit of insubordna-
ton, and at several points engaged in open hos
tilities against the white settlers in their vicinity
The tribes occupying the Indian country south OF
Kansas, revoked their allegiance 10 the United
States, and entered into a treaty with the insur-
gents They who remained loyal to the United
States, were driven from the country. The Chief
Of the Cherokees has visited this city for the pur
of restoring the former relations Of the tribe with
the United States he alleges that they were con-
strained to by superior forces, to enter into treat
les with the insurgents and that the United States
neglected to furnish the protection which their
treaty stpuetons required
In the month of August last, the Sioux Indians
in Minnesota attacked the settlers in their vicinity
with extreme ferocily, killing indiscriminately
men, women and children. These attacks we're
wholly unexpected, and therefore no defense had
been prepared. 1t is estimated that not less than
eight hundred persons were killed by the Indians,
and large amount of property was destroyed.
How this outbreak was induced is not definitely
known, and suspicious which may be adjusted,
need not be stated. Information was received by
the Indian Bureau from different sources, about
the time hostilites commenced, that q sinaul-
taneous attack was to be made on the White set
Elements, by all the tribes between the Missouri
river and the Rocky Mountains. Minnesota has
suffered severely. The people of that State man
ifest strong anxiety for the removal of the
/ tribes beyond the limits of that State, as a guar
antee against more hostilities. The Commission
er of Indian Efiairs win furnish full details, and
submit for your special consideration whether our
Indian system shall not be remodeled Many
wise and good men have been impressed with the
belief that this can be proftably done.
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT.
submit a statement of the proceedings Of the
Commissioners which shows the progress that has
been made in the enterprise of constructing the
Pacific railroad, and suggest the earliest compile
ton of the road and also the favorable action Of
! Congress on the project now pending before them
for enlargng the capacities Of the great canals in
New York and Illinois, as being Of vital and rap
! idly increasing importance to the whole nation,
especially to the vast internal region hereinafter
to be mentioned at greater length. | propose
having prepared and aid before you at an early
day. some interesting and valuable statistical inior-
nation upon these subjects. The military and
commercial importance of enlargng 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.
THE DEPARTMENT or AGRIcULTUE
| respectfully ask your attention to carrying out
Tue pIONloOuo VI TIE [AcL VI AOtu VI AAdl luotf
| have caused the department of agriculture of
the United States to be organized. The Comis-
sion informs me that within the period of few
months this department has established an ex-
| tensive system of correspondence and exchange
both at home and abroad, which promises to eff
feet highly beneficial results in the development
of a correct knowledge of recent improvement in
agriculture, in the introducing Of new products,
and in the collection Of agricultural statistics of
the different States. / also informed that it
will soon be prepared to distribute largely seeds,
cereals, plants and cuttings, and has already pub
lished and literally difused much valuable infor-
nation in anticipation OF a more elaborate report,
which will in due time be furnished, embracing
some valuable tests in chemical schemes now in
progress in the labratory. The creation of this
department was for the more immediate benefit
Of large class Of our most valuable citizens, and
| trust that the liberal basis upon which it has
been organized will not only meet appreciation,
but that it will realize at no distant day, all the
fondest anticipations of its most sangune friends
and become the useful source Of advantage to all
our people. .. -H.. T
1 EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION.
On the 22d of September last, proclamation
was issued by the Executive, a COPY of which is
4 herewith submitted. In accordance with the
purpose expressed in the second paragraph of that
paper now respectfully call your atentton to
| what may be called compensated emancipation.
A nation may be said to consist of its territory its
people and its laws. The territory is only that
part which is of certain durability, zone genera
lion passeth away and another generation cometh
but the earth abideth forever" 1t is of the first
importance to duly consider and estimate this
ever enduring fact, that the portion of the earth's
surface owned and inhabited by the people of the
United States is well adapted to the home of one
ol faF, flxt and Il to1
two or more. Its vast extent and variety of eli
mate and productions Of advantage in this
age to the existence of one people, whatever they
may have been in former ages Steam and tee-
graph, and intelligence, have brought these to be
advantageous to the constitution Of a united peo-
ple In the Inaugural Address, briefly pointed
out the total inadequacy Of disunion as a remedy
for differences between the people of the two
sections l did so in language which | cannot
improve, and which, therefore | beg to repeat :
"One section Of our country believes that slavery
is right and ought to be extended, while the other
believes it wrong and ought not to be extended"
This is the substantial dispute The fugitive
slave clause of the Constitution and the law for
the suppression of the African slave trade are
each as well enforced perhaps as any law can
ever be, in country where the moral sense of the
people imperlectly supports the law ITSELF The
/ great body Of the people abide by the legal OBJ
! legations in both cases and few break over each.
ThisyI think, cannot oe perfectly cured, and it
would be worse in both instances after separation
of the States than before. The foreign slave
trade, now imperfectly suppressed, would
be ultimately renewed without restriction.
while fugitives, not only partially surren-
dered, would not be surrendered, at all by the
other. Physically speaking, we cannot separate.
! We cannot remove our respective sections from
each other, nor build an impossible wall between