Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1864-12-17

vessels and the machinery and arma.ure
for our shPs, to which reference was made
in my lassAnnual message.
Your sstention is also invited to the
views expassed ID the report in relation
to the Legislation of Congress at the last
session in respect to prizes in our inland
waters. l cordially concur in the recon-.
mendation Of the Secretary as to the pro-
priety Of creating the new rank of vice
admiral in our naval service.
Your attention is invited to the Report
Of the Postmas,er General for detailed
account of the financial condition of the
Post Office Department. The postal rev.
clue fox the year!ending June 3Oth, 1864,
amounted to sl2ass,75, and the expendi
lures to sl2,644,7s6, 20. The excess of
expenditures oves sasceipts being s206 ,653,.
AZ. The views pisasnted by the Postmas'
ter General on De subject of special
grants by the Gfsernment in aid of the
establishment Of hsw lines of ocean mai!
steamships. aud % policy herecommends
for the developmaht Of increased CONNER.
cial intercourse With adjacent and neigh>
boring countries, shonld receive the care
full consideration apf Congress.
I, is of notea br.hy interes: that the
steady expansion Of population and i'm
provemeut 10 governmental institutions
over the new and unoccupied portions OF
our country have scarcely been checked,
much less impeiid Or destroyed by our
great civil war, which at first glance would
seem TO have ABSORBED almost the entire
energies of the nation. The organization
and admission Of the State of Nevada
have been completed in conformity with
the laws, and ,hus our excellent system is
firmly established in the mountains which
once seemed basreu and uninhabitable
waste between the Atlantic States and
those which have grown up on the coast
Of the Pacific Ocean.
The Territories Of the United States are
generally in a condition of prosperity and
rapid growth. Idaho and Montana, by
reason of their great distance, asl the in.
Perception of communication with them
by Indian hos,ilities, have been only par.
TALLY organized, but it is understood that
these difficulties are about to disappear,
which will permit their Governments, like
those Of others, to 60 into speedy and full
operation.
AS intimately connected with and pro.
motive of this material growth of the ma.
tion, ask the attention Of Congress to
the valuable information and important
recommendations relating to the public
lands, Indian affairs, the Pacific railroad
and mineral discoveries contained in the
report of the Secretary Of the Interior,
which is herewith transmitted, and which
report also embraces the subjects of pa.
tents, pensions and other topics of public
interest pertaining to his department. The
quantity Of public land disposed of during
the FIVE quarters ending on the 3O,h OF
September last, was 4,22l ,342 acres, OF
which l,53S,6l acres were entered under
the homestead law; the remainder was
located with military warrants and agri
cultural scrip, certified to States for rail-
roads, and sold for cash The cash re.
ceipts from sales and location lees was
Sl,Olo, ,44C; the income from sales during
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1864, was
SG7s ,Oo7,2l against 636,077,95, receipts
during the preceding year. The aggregate
Of acres surveyed during the year has
been equal to the quantity disposed of,
and there are open to settlement about
5000, 900 acres Of surveyed lands.
The great enterprise Of connecting the
Atlantic with the Pacific by railroad and
telegraph lines has been entered upon with
visor that gives assurance of success,
notwithstanding the embarrassment aris'
ing from the prevailing high prices Of
material and labor. The route on the
main line of the road has been definitely
located for loo miles westward from the
initial point at Omaha City, Nebraska,
and preliminary location has been made
from Sacramento eastward to the great
beed Of Mucker river.
In Nevada, numerous discoveries Of
gold, silver and cincbar mines have been
added to the many heretofore known, and
the country occupied by the Sierra Nevada
and Rocky Mountains, and the subordinate
ranges now teens with enterprising labor
which is richly enumerated. 1t is believed
that the producb Of the mines of precious
metals in that region, have, during the
year, reached, if not exceeded $lOO, ,O00,-
900 in value. j. " @"H
1t was recommended in my last annual
message that our Indian system he 70.
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