Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-12-09

hibits the operations of that DeparJm-u. AID
of the navy during the year. A considerable
reduction % the force has been effected There
are forty-two vessels carrying four hundred
ard eleven guns, in the six sqdadrons wh.Cl
are established n different parts OF the world.
Three Of these vessels are returning 20 the
lrlted States and four are used as stUr,ShIpS,
leaving the actual cruising force thirty We
vessels, carrying three hundred aud nty-
six guns. The total number Of vessels in
the navy is two hunderd and SIX.
mounting seventeen hundred and forty
three guns. Eigh,y-one vessels OF
every Description are ia use, armed With sax
hundred and nIne'y-six guns. Toe number OF
enlisted men in the service, IacludInC appreu-
tiCes, has been reduced 10 eight thousand five
hundreo- An increase o. nayy-Yard facilities
II recon ne nded As A meas ure which viii. IA
'he event o. var, be prOmoIye oi economy aud
Cu-Ity. A more Thorough aud systematic
survey OF the North Pacific Ocean ~ advise IN
view " our recent aCq uIsitiOns, our eXpandiug
commerce, ana me increasing intercourse b.
-veen the Pacific States and Asia. Tha naval
pension fund, which consists Of 4 mnie.y OF
Tie aNaIls OF prizes captured during the war,
amounts TO Sii,@O,UuO. Exception Is taken 10
the act OF sd Juiy last, which reduces Ia.
Interest on the fund loaned 10 the Government
by ne SECRETARY, as trustee. u three per cent,
instead OF six per cert. which was originally
stipulated when the ~ ysstment was made An
alnt nome nj of the pension laws is suggested -
remedy omissions and defects IL existing enact
ments. The expenditures Of The Department
during the last fiscal Year were Se1I21 .8ai, and
the estimates for The coming year amount to
ST .Eti,ili.
The Postmaster Generals report furnishes
full and clear exhibit of the opera IONS and
conditions of the postal service. The ordinary
postal revenue for the fiscal wear ending Junp
50, lNoo was el6,2.:2,6OO and the total expends-
lures, embracing all the service foT which
special appropriations have nee "a made by Con-
gless, amounted TO S22. 9,}n.S,rl showing an ax-
cess of expenditures OF S6,i35,91I. Dedncting
from the expenditures The sum of SI.~a6.525.
the hlnount Of appropriations for oceals steam
snip and other special service, the excess OF
e&ptndItnres was Si.5il,iG6. BY using an
uneXrended baiance In the Treasury of
Sf,at,tO,, the actual sum for which special
appropriation IS required ~ meet the ati cheney
IS S74i,i65. The cause which produced this
large excess of expenditure over revenue Were
the restoration Of service ip the late iusurgent
States, and the putting into operation of the
new service established by acts Of Congress,
which amounted, within the last two wears
and half, TO about * .uO miles-eaual 10 m ,re
than one-third Of the whole amount OF the
service at the close of the war. New
postai conventions with Great Britain,
North Germany, Belgium, the Neither
lands, Switzerland, and Italy. respectively,
have been carried into effect. Under their pro-
Visions important Improvements have resulted
Ia reduced Rates OF international postage, aud
arged mail facilities with European conn
tries. The coast Of the United States trans
Atlantic ocean mail service since January l.
1~tSi has been largely lessened under the on
eT;t'lCL OF 'heSe new ConN entiors. Z reduction
Of over oEe-half having been effected uudar
the new arrangements for ocean mai stsaEn-
eeThlte " Dicn Went into effect nat date
The att niIon OF Congress is invited 10 The
rTacucal suggestions and recommendations
MADE In T report by the Postmaster General
No important question has occurred during
me last year in our accustomed cordial and
IRE ndly intercourse with Cosa Ria. Guate-
maia, Honduras, San salvador, France. Aus
ma; Belgium, S%iJzarlanG, PoTturaI, he
Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway
Rome, Greece, urkey, Persia, Egypt, Liberia
Morocco, Tripoli, Tunis, Muscat, Sam. BOrLeo
and Madagascar
al -ala har
with the ArceItiue and Tie Oriental repubIt,~
Tie expressed wish Of Con -ress thar cur rl
tional good offices might ba tcBierel 10 taos,.
R"pnblics, and also To- BraZl AID Paraguay
for bringing 10 an end the calamI:Uus war
which has so long heen raging III the valley Of
the La Plaza, has been a>siduousIy complied
win, and kindly Acknowledged ny an the
hellIes rents. That important n-goua.iov
however, has thus tar been without result
Charles A. WashbuTn, late Uuited States
Minister 10 Paraguay, having resigned aud
being desirons 10 return to the United S.s-.s
the Rear Admiral comm lIdlnS tue South a.
lantic squadron was early directed To send a
ship-of-war TO Asuncion, the capital Of y "a,
sugy, 10 receive Mr.. Washbuyn and his family.
AID remove them fron; a situation which Wa.
r.Pr' Senled ~ be endangered by faction ana
foreign war. The Brazilian Commander on
the allied invading forces r-fnset permission
TO tie WASP" 70 pass throu yh the bI5ckadiu-
forces, and that vessel returned 10 lis acrus
toned anchorage. Remonstgance having been
made against this refusal it was promntIy
overruled, and the Wasp" therafor,
resumed her errand, received Mr. wash
burn and his family, and conveyaa
them to a safe and convenient seaport. In tha
meantime. an excited controversy had arisen
between III" President of Paraguay and th.
late Unit States Minister, which il is Under
5000 grew out OF has proceedings in giving
enemies Of that Republic. The question OF Ias
right 10 give asylum L. one al WAYS d,ttisn
ana often productive OF great em5arVass N mt
In States well organized and established, for
eign Powers refuse either TO concade or ever.
clse that right, except as - persons actuaIv
belonging TO the diplomatic service. On III.
other hand, all such Po wers insist upon exer-
cising the right of asylum iD States where tho
law OF nations is not fully acknowledged, re-
spected, ana obeyed.
The President OF Paraguay is understood IN
have opposed TO Mr. Wash0uru's procaesIngs
the in urious and ysry impI obable charg. ot
personal compiicity III InsuIreclIon and trea
son. The correspondence, however has n,t
yet rec ched the United States.
Mr.. Washourn, IN connection with this CON.
uoversy, represents that two United Srarss
cinzens attached 10 the Legation We're arbitrarily
seized AZ his side, when leaving the capital Of
Paraguay, CON mitted 10 prison, and the sinh
jected to torture Tor the purpose of pro,priny
eonfessi' ms Of their own crimnaliiy, ana testi.
mony 10 support the Presidents allegations
against The Unied States Minister. Nr NJ
Mahon, the newly pointed Minister 10
Paraguay having reached the La Plata has
10 Asunciop, there 10 Investigate the yvnnia
subject. The Rear Admiral commandin q ths
United states South Atlantic Squadron has
been directed TO attend the new Minister win
q proper naval force to sustain such inst de-
mands as the occasion may require ana To
vindicate the rights Of the United States citi
zens referred to, and Of any Others who NAV
he exposed to danger In the theatre Of var
With these exceptions, friendly relations have
been maintained between the United S,atss
and Brazil and Paraguay.
Our relations during the past year with Ro.
liv a, Eo uador, Peru, ana Chile have become
especially friendly and cordial. Spain ana The
Republics of Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador nave
expressed their willingness TO accent the me.
diation of the United States for terminal no The
war upon the South Pacific coast CnIIe has
not finally declared upon the question: In the
meantime the conflict has practically exhaust.
ed itself, since no belligerent or hostile move
ment has been made by either party durinp the
last two years, and there are no indications Of
q present purpose to resume hostilities ON
either side. Great Britain and France haya
cordially seconded our proposition OF medi.
alton, and / do not foreeo tha
hope that 1t may soon be accepted by All the
belligerente, and lead to q secure establish
ment OF peace and friendly relations hetwaen
the Spanish American kepu biics OF tne Ps
cifc and Spain-a result which would he n
tended with common benents to the belII~s,
cuts and much advantage to ali commercsa,
nations. 1 communicate, for the consioers
non OF Oongress, q correspondence vn,ch
shows that the Bos ivian Republic has ssess
lished the extremely liberal principIe m -
ceiytng int its citizenship any citizen oS ~.
tnited States. or OF any other Of the smsrs.
can Republ 'cs. upon the simple eondition OF