Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1866-12-11

and concentrated Qualifications on the coast
and frontier have received, or are being pre-
pared for more powerful armaments, ;Slake
surveys and KarbOr and river Improvements
are in courseof energetic prosecutionto Pre-
parations have been made for r'the payment OF
the additional bounties authorized during the
recent session of Con gress; under such Iegu-
lations us will protect the Government from
fraud and: secure :to.the honorabIy discharged
soldier the well.earned reward of his faith
fulness and gallaptry.a than six thou>
sand manned soldiers have received artificial
limbs or other surgical apparatus; and forty
one national cemeteries, Containing the re-
mains of 104, 4,526 Union soldiers 6ave al
ready been established. The total estimate
Of military approp ations is s25, ,2o5; ;669 81
siis Report scf ,SeeretatySef May.
aIt.isl stated in the report of the Secretary Of
the Navy that the naval force at this time CON
sists of two hundred aud seventy eight yes.
sells, armed with two. thousand three hundred
and ffty>one guns.l OF these, one hu1dfed
and fifteen vessels, carrying onet thousand an d
twenty nine guns, are in commission ldistrib-
utsd chiefly among seven isqpadEops The
number OF men IN the service is thirteen
thousand six hundred. Great activity and
vigilance have been displayed by alFtiie sqhadI
eiously and efficiently arranged sin such man
neF as would best promote A American com,
merce, and protect the rights aud interests of
our couptrynen abroad. The vessels iuinieml
ployed are undergoing repairs, or are laid up
until l'their services may be required Mbst
of Khe iron clad, feet is at League Island, in
the. vicinity of Philadelphia, a place which,
until decisive action should be taken by Con-
gress, was selected by the Secretary Of the
Navy as the most eligible location Tor that
class of vessels. 1t is important that suita-
BILE public station should be provided for the
iron-clad feet. 1t is intended that these YES
sells shall be in proper condition for any
emergency, and it is desirable that the bill
accepting League Island for naval purposes,
which passed the House of Representatives
at its last session, should receive final action
at an early period, In order that there may be
suitable public station for this class of YES
sells, as well as navy yard of area sufficient
for the wants of the service, ou the Delaware
river. The naval pension fund amounts to
$ll,750,000, having been increased s., $780,
600 during the year. The expenditures of
the Department for the fiscal year ending
Both June last, were S43, ,324,526, and the
estimates for the coming year amount to S23,-
56S, ,4S6. Attention is invited to the, condi~
tion of our seamen, aud the importance of
legislative measures for their relief aud i'm
proyement. The suggestions in behalf Of
this deserving class of our fellow. citizens are
earnestly lybrecommcnded to the favorable at.
tention Of Congress. 90 ss,s .s...n h.
Report Of Ike ,Ebstn,asttr General.
The report of the Postmaster General pre-
sentsa most satisfactory condition of the postal
service, and submits RECOMMENDATIONS which
deserve the consideration of Congress. The
revenues of the Department for the year end
ing June 30, 1866, were S14, 3S6,9s6, and
the expenditures S15,352, ,079, showing an
excess OF the latter of 1865 ,093., In antici-
patton of this deficiency, however, special
appropriation was made by Congress 10 the
act approved July %, 1866 Includiugsthe
standing appropriation of 500, 900 for free
mail matter, as a legitimate portion of the
revenues yet remaining unexpended, the ac-
tual deficiency for the past year is only S265,
O93-a sum within $5l, al of the amount
estimated in tho annual report ofglS64. Tile
decrease of revenue compared with the pre-
vious year was one and oDe,ffth per cent,
and the increase of expenditures, owing prin.
cipally to the enlargement of the mail service
IN the South, was twelve per cent On the
Both of June last there were in operation six
thousand nine hundred and thirty mail
routes, with an aggregate length of one hun
-dred and eighty thousand nine hundred and
twentEione miles. an aggregate annual trans>
portationse of seyenty-9pe' millions eight hun
dred and thirty;seven thousand nine hundred
and fourteen niles and an aggregate annual
cost, including all Expenditures, of lSs,4IOE
1S4. The length of railroad routes is thirty
two thousand and niuety-two miles, and the
annual transportation thirty million six hun
dred and nine thousand four hundred and
sixty>seVen miles. The length of Steamboat
routes fourteen thousand three hundred and
forty-six miles, and heannual transportation
three million. four, hundred and eleven thou
sand nine hundred and sixtyStwo miles. The
mail service is rapidly increasing Throughout
the whole country, and its steady extension
in the Southern States indicates their con.
stantly improving condition. The growing
Importance of the foreign service also merits
attention. The Post Office Department oi
Great Britain and our own have agreed upon
preliminary basis for new postal conven
ton, which it is believed will prove emineDtly
beneficial to the commercial interests of the
United States, inasmuch as it contemplates 3
reduction of the international letter postage
to one half the existing rates; a reduction Ol
postage with all other countries to aud from
which correspondence is transmitted in the
British mail, or in closed mails through tn,
United Kingdom the establishment of uni
form and reasonable charges for the sea anG
territorial transit OF correspondence in closed
mails; and an allowance to each post Office
department of the right to use all mail com
munications established under the authorit,
of the other for the despatch of.eorrespond
ence, either in open or closed mails, on the
same terms as those applicable to the inhab.
itants of. the country providing the means o.
Transmission. $50 49, ora - i,,-,,.7s. -
Report of Secretary Of Interior.
The report of the Secretary of the interior
exhibits the cnnditinn of those hr.rchas -