The Montana post. [volume] (Virginia City, Montana Territory [i.e. Mont.]) 1864-1869, 1864-12-31
NO. l9.

dition of the Post Office Department. tn.
postal revenues for the year ending june
outh, 1864, amounted to SI2,43S. .203 "a.
ana. the expenditures to $l2, 1856. 20,
the excess OF expenditures over receipts
oelng S2oo,632 AZ. The views presented
Dy the Postmaster General on the subject Of
special grants BY the Government in. aid of
the establishment of new lines of ocean
mail steam ships, and the policy he recon-
menqs Tor The Development Of increased
commercial intercourse with adjacent and
neighboring countries, should receive the
careful consideration 5f Congress-. -
1t is of noteworthy interest. that an.
steady expansion of population and i'm
provement in governmental institution.
over the new and unoceupied portions of
our country have scarcely been checked
much less impeded Or DESTROYED by our
great civil war, which, at the ifrst glance
would seem to have absorbed almost the
entire energies of the nation. The organ
ization and admission of the State of Ne
yada has been completed in conformity
with the laws, and our excellent system is
frmly established in the mountains which
once seemsd barren and uninhabitsbls
waste between the Atlantic States and those
which have grown up on the coast Of the
Pacific ocean. The Territories of the Unit
ed States are, generally, in a condition of
prosperity and rapid growth. idano ant,
Montana, by reason of their great distance
/ and the interruption of Communication
with them by Indian hostilities, have been
only partially organized, but it is under
stood that those difficulties are about to
disappear, which will permit their govern
ments, like those of others, to 90 into speedy
and full operation, as intimately connected
with and promotive of the material growth
of the nation.
l ask the attention of Congress to tbs
valuable information aad important recon-
mendations relating to the public lands, In
dian affairs, the Pacific railroad, and min
eral discoveries, contained in the Report of
the Secretary of the Interior, which is here
with transmitted and which report also
embraces the subjects of patents, pensions,
and other topics of public interest pertain
ing to this Department The quantity of
pubic land disposed Of during the five
tquarters ending on the 30th of September
last, was ,22l ,342 acres, of which 1885,
Ola acres were entered under the home
stead law. The remainder was located
with military warrants anu agricultural
script, certified to States for railroads and
sold for cash. The cash receipts from sales
and location fees were Sl,019.4J6. The in
come from sales during the fiscal year end
ing June 30, 1864, was $5IS, ,007 q, against
$536,0II % receipts during the preceding
year. The aggregate of acres surveyed
during the year has been equal to the GUAM
tity disposed of, and there is open to set
tlement about 1873 ,000, ,00G acres of surveyed
land.
The great enterprise OF connecting the
Atlantic with the Pacific by railroad and
telegraph lines had been entered upon with
vlgor that gives assurance Of success
Notwithstanding the embarassments arising
from the prevailing high prices of materials
and labor, the route of the main line of tho
!, road has been definitely located for one
hundred miles westward from the initial
point at Omaha City, Nebraska, and pre-
liminary location of the Pacific railroad of
California has been made from Sacramento
eastward to the great bend Of the Truckee
river in Nevada.
Numerous discoveries Of gold. silver and
cinnabar mines, have been added TO the
many heretofore known, and the country
bounded by the Sierra Nevada and Rocky
Mountains and subordinate ranges, now
teens with enterprising labor which is
richly remunerative. 1t is believed that
the products of the mines In that region
has, during the year, reached, if not ex-
ceeded $3.50, 100000 in value.
1t was recommended in my last annual
message that our Indian system bo remcd-
sled. Congress at its last session, acting
on the recommendation, did provide for re-
organizing the system in California, and it
, is believed that under the present orgauiza-
, tion, the management of the Indians there
will be attended with reasonable success.
Much yet remains to be done, to provide
for the proper government Of the Indians
in other parts of the country, and to rem
der it secure for the advancing settler, and
, to provide for the welfare OF the Indian.
] The Secretary reiteratss his recommends
tions, and to them the attention of Con-
| gress is invited. l
The liberal provisions to the invalid SOL
| diers and sailors of the republic, and 10 The
| widows, orphans and dependent mothers
OF those who have fallen in battle. or died
of disease contracted, Or Of wounds receiv-
ed in the service of their country, have been
| diligently administered. There have been
} admitted to the pension rolls during tho
{ year ending tho 30th day of June last, tho
names of 1910 invalid soldiers, and 27I
. disabled seamen, making the pres .ns num-
Der OF army invalid pensions 22,767,
and OF navy invalid pensions, 712. OF
, widows, orphans and mothers, 22, 1913 have
[ been placed on the army pension rolls, and
24S on the navy rolls. The present num-
d Der of army pensions of this class is a.
0 433, and of navy pensions, 793. At the
beginning of the year, the number Of rev.
olutionary pensions was l,430-only l3 of
them were soldiers, of whom s have since
a died. The remainder are thoss whs, un-
n der the law, receive pensions because of
relationship to revolutionary soldiers. Dur
b ing the year ending the 30th of June. 1864,
: $24,504,6l6 % have been paid to pension.
0 ers af all classes.
: cheerfuily commend 10 your continued
q patronage, the benevolent institutions OF
l the District of Columbia, which have hith-
t erto been established or fostered by Con-