New-York tribune., 1868-09-09
TILE NATLONdL DEBT.

nst is officially reported by Secretary McCul-
loch, as follows
Total Debt bearing interest .Sls2220o
DO which interest has stopped ........... l2"h5Ut
Do yet bearing Interest sl2Vo'yI
Add bonds issued to Pacific Railroad Com -
pauics S'''If"p
Grand s2cls2562ss
From which deduct cash in Treasury lO7.Gn9H
Leaves our actual Debt s2s35.si3l3
Deduct the bonds Issued 10 Railroads and
payable, principal and Interest, By theln. D'5lieO
Leaves the Debt OF tho Nation. oosl3
The National Debt is therefore Two ana a
Half Billions of Dollars, though considerable
norton consists of Greenbacks, Postal Cur
rency Treasury Notes. &c, &C., long since
burnt lost at sea- or otherwise destroyed, so
that payment thereof can never be required
nor made. The fact that over Twelve Millions
of Understanding bonds on which interest has
been stopped (the bonds having matured, and
the Treasury standing ready 10 redeem them
are not presented for payment, argues that
many of these have been lost also. But We
offset the lost Greenbacks &c, against the
contingent liability to pay tho S3j,3l4,OOO OF
bonds issued to Pacific Railroad Companies, 20
secure which the Government has second
mortgage on their roads respectively, ana con
slider the Debt just about s2,5O0,O0O0OO.
This is an increase Of $l2,079,s32 during the
last month, caused as follows:
BY paying Russia In gold for Alaska md the ice
BY issuing bonds to the Pacific Railroad Compa.
nies 3lOlOOO
TOgeihtr siu'lyiVp
Real Increase OF f'osJ2
The California and the Omaha Pacific Rail
road Companies are each working with all its
might to push its road as fast and as far as
possible before it shall be met by the other
their contract with the Government proving so
profitable that each wishes to make the most
of it. They will doubtless have met within the
year ensuing; but meantime they will have
required and received from the Treasury some
$50 100000 to $400O0,000 more OF these bonds
which the Government must pay If the Com
panies should ever dcfault-as they surely need
not and we trust will not.
The Russian bear has drawn blood this month
So, 900 in gold that we grudgc him, and
do not think his icebergs fairly worth. How
ever, that is done and can't be undOne. He
must MT do it again, and is not likely to try.
To be sure there are st. Thomas, and Sa-
mana. and that unknown isle in the Indian
ocean, yet behind but the Senate has ratified
none of these jobs, aud Gov. Seward can't be
Secretary of State forever SO we will hope
and trust that our real estate operations are
about over. %, Gen. Rosecrans please do Mt
buy any more of Mexico to run your nilroad
over! Leave us our money wherewith to pay
our just and heavy debtsD
The National Debt was s2757, 100000 over
and above all money in the Treasury Oh the
1st of August, 1865 Since that time, we have
paid off and mustered out large bodies of our
Volunteers for the War; We have paid mus
tering-out bounties to q majority of them we
have paid many more Millions to States for
arming and equipping their men during the
War; and we have reduced our internal Taxes
by more than one-half. We wish tha reduc-
ton had been less rapid and less sweeping
yet the present taxes will suffice if the! can be
honestly, faithfully collected. This, af:er Gen.
Grants Inauguration, they surely will be.
Hitherto, we have been paying exta inter
est Mr.. Buchanans Administration borrowed
at twelve per cent. TO exc out its miserable
existence; and Mr. Lincon's had to bear up
against the damage thus wrought to our Ma
tional Credit as well as to pay the debt prn-
cipal and interest, thus contracted. Mr.. Fcs-
sender was constrained to borrow n very large
amount at $40 interest; all which has now
been funded at six per cent Five-Twenties)
save fraction on which interest has stopped
altogether. So of our Compound Interest notes,
except S1O,595,4l0, which will soon be wiped
out. We have now Ss5,SOO,4lO drawing but
three per cent, s221 ,5Ss,4GO drawing five per
cent, and $1,7S4.0O3,33O drawing six per cent,
much of it already liable to redemption, and
which we ought to be able to fund in an un.
taxable bond certainly at five and probably at
four and half, if not at four per cent. The
British Government pays less than four Der