Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-12-17

being an actual increase durinc the year.
over and above all losses bylshipwreek or in
battle, of S3,vessels, l67 guns, and 42,427
tons. The total number of men at this time
in the naval service, including officers, is
about $1,000. ~ - 3a27 WoG
There have been captured by the navy
during the year, S24 vessels, and the whole
number of payal captures, since hostilities
commenced, is 1900, Of which 267 are steam
ers. The gross proceeds arising from the
sale of condemned prize sproperty' thus
far reported, amouBtsito Sl4, 1896, 250.5l A
large amount of such. proceeds is still
under adjudication, and yet to be reported.
The total expenditures of the Davy Ne
partment, of every description, including the
cost of the immense squadrons that have
been called into; existence, from the 4th of
March, 1861, to the lst of November, 1864,
are $685., 647, 262.35, ..I
Your favorable Consideration is invited to
the various recommendations of the Secre-
tary Of the navy, especially in regard to a
nayy-yard and a suitable establishments for
the construction and repair of iron vessels
and the machinery and armature for our
ships. to which reference was made in my
last annual message Your attention is also
invited to the views expressed in. the report
in relation to the legislation of congress at
the last session in respect to prizes in our
inland waters / cordially concur in the re-
CONNIE ndation of the secretary as to the
propriety of creating the new rank of vice
admiral in our naval service.
POST OFFICE. DEPARTMENT.
Your attention is invited to the report of
the Postmaster General for detailed account
of the operations and financial condition of
the Post Office Department.. The postal rev.
enues for the year ending June 30th, 1864,
amounted to Sl2, Ass, 2537S, and the expen-
ditures, to 2,644, 1920, the excess of ex-
penditures over receipts being 5000, 652 A.
The views presented by the Postmaster Gem
efal on the subject of special grants by tine
government in aid of the establishment of new
lines of ocean mail steamships, and the policy
he recommends for the development of in
creased commercial intercourse with ad jacent
and neighboring countries, should receive the
careful consideration of Congress.
.as THE NEW STATE. y 4.
The organization and admission of the
State of Nevada has been completed, in con-
formity with the laws, and thus our excellent
system is firmly established in the mountains
which once seemed barren and uninhabited
waste, between the Atlantic States and those
which have grown up on the coast of the Pa
cific Ocean.
THE TERRITORIES.
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 and the interrogation
of communication with them by Indian hos
tilities, have been only partially organized,
but it is understood that these difficulties are
about to disappear, which will permit their
Governments, like those of others, to go into
speedy and full operation. s 81
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR.
Il is of noteworthy interest that the steady
expansion of population and improvement in
Governmental institutions over the new and
portions of our country have
scarcely been checked, much less impeded
or destroyed by our great civil war, which at
FIRST glance would seem to have absorbed al
most the entire energies of the nation.
As intimately connected with, and promo
tive of this material growth of the nation,'I
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 patents, pensions, and other topics of pub
lie interest pertaining to his Department
THE PUBLIC LANDS.
The quantity of public land disposed of
during the FIVE quarters ending on the Both
of September last was A, 22l ,342 acres, of
which l 1913, GA acres were entered under
the homestead law. The remainder was To-
Gated with military warrants and agricultural
scrip certified TO states for railroads, and
sold for cash. The cash receipts for sales
and location fees we're Sl,0l9, 446. The in
come from sales during the fiscal year ending
June S0th, 1864, was S67S, 007.2l, against
$685., or 95 receipts the preceding year.
The aggregate of acres surveyed during the
year has been equal to the quantity disposed
of, and there is open to settlement about
133, 900, 900 acres of surveyed land.
PACIFIC RAILROAD.
The great enterprise of connecting the At |
lantic with the Pacific by railroad and tele-
graph lines has been entered upon with a
vigor that gives assurance of success. Not
the embarrassments arising from
the prevailing high prices of materials and
labor, the route OF the main line of the road
has been definitely located for 100 miles
westward from the initial point at Omaha City,
Nebraska, and a preliminary location of the
Pacific Railroad of California has been made |
of Mucker river in Nevada. ,t.t,r
rsai MINES. 5,5 br;aa..
Numerous discoveries of gold, silver and
cinnabar 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
labor, which is richly remunera-
tive 1t is believed, that the product of the |
mines of precious metals in that region has,
during the year, reached, if not exceeded
s400, 100000 in value.
THE INDIAN SYSTEM t8t
1t was recommended in my last annual mes
sage that our Indian system be remodeled.
Congress, at its last session, acting on the re-
the system in California, and it, is believed
that under the present organization the man
agement of the Indians there will be attended
with reasonable success. Much yet remains
to be done to provide for the proper govern
ment of the indians in other parts of the
to render it secure for the advanc-
ing settler, aid to provide for the welfare of
the Indian The Secretary reiterates his re-
and to them the attention Of
Congress is invited.
III 50 f. PENSIONS. 81. d.. ...
The liberal provisions to the invalid SOL !
diers and sailors of the Republic, and to the
widows, orphans, and dependent mothers of
those who have fallen in battle or died of dis
ease contracted or of wounds received in the
service of their country, have been diligently
There have been admitted to
the pension rolls during the year ending the
30th day of June last, the names of 1910 |