Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-12-11
content myself BY refel ring your attention to
The report itself.
TIE NAVY DEPARTMENT.

ovutout mytot Dy fciolEiuh yVut otson"oh "
The repor! itself.
THE NAVY DEPARTMENT.
The duties devolving on the navtl branch Of
She service dufipa the year, and II fr,ughout the
whole of this uuhappy coDteet. have been dis
charged With fidelity and emlrebt success. The
blockade has been constantly incresring in ef-
Aciency. ss the navy has expanded. Yet, on 90
long line, Ii has 90 far been impossible to en-
Sireiy suppress Illicit trade. From the returns
ssosived at the Navy Department 1t apte'rs
THAT more than one Thousand vessels have been
captured since the blockade wss Instituted, and
that the value Of the prizes already sent IN for
adjudication amounts 10 over thirteen million
dollars. The naval force of the United States
consists at this time OF 569 vessels completed
and 10 tbe course of completion, end of these
seventy Ave ere iron clad srmored cleaners -
The events Of the var give an increased inter-
est and importance to the navy which will prob
ably extend beyond the war itself. The armed
vessels 10 our navy completed and in the SER
vice, or which are under contract and approach
Ing completion, are believed to exceed In num-
Der those Of any other power; but while these
may be relied upon for halbor defense and sea
COST service. Others Of greater strength and
capacity will be necessary for cruising purposes
aud to maintain our rightful position on the
ocean The change that has taken place In
naval vessels and naval warfare since the in
PRODUCTION of steam as motive power for
chips Of wsr, demands either correspond &
change in some Of our existing + svy yards, or
lhe establishment Of new ones for the construc
zion and necessary repair Of modern war vessels.
No iDconsiderable embarrassment, delay, aud
public IT, Jury, have been experier ced from the
want Of such Government establishments The
necessity Of such navy yard, 60 furnished, at
some suitable place upon the Atlantic seaDoard,
has, on repeated occssions, been brought to
The attention of Congress by the Navy Depart.
ment, and 10 again presented in the report OF
che Secretary, which accompanies this commu-
nieatlon. think IL my duty to invite your
special attic ntion TO this subject, and also that
OF establishing yard and depot for naval pur
poses upon one of the western rivers. naval
force has been created on those interior waters
and under many disadvantages within little
more than two yeare, exceeding In number the
whole naval force of the country at the CON-
mencemt mt of th epresent AdmirittratioD. Sat
lsfaotory and important as have bee the perfor-
mances of the heroic men of the navy, at this
period they are scarcely more wcnderu thon
the servic Cos OF our mechanics and africans In
the production of war vessels, which have cre-
ated new form Of naval power. Our country
has advantages superior to any other nation In
our resources Of iron end timber, with inex'
haustible quantities of fuel 10 the immediate
vicinity OF both, and all accessible and In close
proximity to nsvlgable watere. Without the
disadvantage Of public risks, the resources
the patton have been developed and its COVER
d!splaye ed In the construction of navy OF sucn
magnitude, which has at the very period of its
creation, rendered signal service to the UOon.
The increase Of the num)er of seamen In the
(-.- IN ha lnfy ~
1861, to about "a 600. at the present time, has
been accomplished without especial legislation
or extraordinary bounties 10 promote that in
crease. It has been found, however, that the
operations of the draft. with high bouDties paid
for army recruits, lie beginning to affect iDjuri-
ously the naval service, and viii, II not cor
fecied, be likely to impair its efficiency, by de
saching seamen from their proper vocation, and
inducing them to enter the army. therefore
respectfully suggest that Congress might sid
both the army and naval service, by adequate
provision on this subject, which would at the
same time be equitable to the communities
more especially intended. | commend to your
consideration the suggestions OF the Secretary
Of the Navy 10 regard to the policy of fostering
aud training eesmen for naval service. The
Naval Academy is rendering sist al service In
preparing midshipmeD for highly responsible
duties which, In alter life, they will be required
20 perform, In order that the country should
rot be deprived of the proper quota Of educated
officers, Tor which leg sal provision bas been made
OF the naval school. The vacancies caused by
she neglect or omission 10 m ke nominations
from the States In nsurrection, have been fill.
cd BY the Secretary Of the Navy. The school
10 now more full and complete tran OF any pre-
yious period, and In every respect is ept titled to
the favorable consideration of Congress.
TIE Pysr CTyIcE DEPARTMENT..
During the past fsc'l year the financial con-
ditlon Of the Pest. flee Departments has been
one Of increases prosperity, and am gratlfed
In being able TO state that the amount of postal
revenue has nearly equsled the tire expendi-
ture-the latter amounting 10 eleven millious,
three hundred and fourteen thousand dollars
and eighty-four cents, and the former 10 eleven
millions, enc hundred aud sixy-lhree thou
sand seven hundred aud eigh y.nIns dollars and
aud fftv nine cents. leaving o deficiency of but
el50,4l7 Is. Iu 1860, the year Immediately
preceding the rebellion, the deficiency amount-
Cd 10 S., ,656 705 49; the posial receipts OF that
year we're 81 645 722 10 less than those of
1868. The decrease since 1860 in the annual
amount OF transportation las been only about
sWenty Ave per cent, but the annual expendi-
3uko1 VI boOuuhtOA VIC utOu LCuuCtul
thirty Ave per cent. L. i, manifest therefore,
Iaat the Post efi,e Department may .come
10 few years, even with the
of the whole service. Tho Inter.
national Conference of the postal delegates
from the principal countries of Europe and
Amerios, which was called as the suggestion OF
Ihe Postma Ter General met at Paris Oh the llth
Of May last, AID concluded its deliberations on
The Oh Of June. The principles established by
he conference, as best adapted to facilitate
postal intercourse between nations. aud as the
basis Of future conventions TO inAugurate ger-
eeal system of unitorm International charges at
reduced rae, OF postage, can Lot fail 10 pro-
luce beneficial results.
DIRARTMENT CT THE INTERIOR.
! refer you to the report of the Secretary of
lhe Interior, which is herewith laid before you,
for the useful and varied information In relation
10 public lands Indian fairs, patents, Lenslo
and ther matters Of public concern pertaining
10 his department.. The quantity OF lands DIG :
posed Of during the last and the fret quarter
,f the present fscal years, Was three million, !.
light hundred and forty.one thousand, five !.
lundred and forty nine atres; OF which one :
hundred and sixty-one thousand, nine hundred /.
md eleven acres were cold for ossb; one mil y
Ion, four hundred and fity.eix thousand, five
hundred and fourteen acres, were tIken up
Inder she homestead Law, and the residue dis p
oeed Of under laws granting lands for miliyspJI