The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1868-12-18

ditures loI the three years which have bee
nan,Pd IS thus shown 10 be $I73, $500 70
this sipgle branch Of The public service.
rns NAvy OFFICE
The report Of ihe secretary Of the nav
exhibits the operations Of that department
and Of tho navy during the year. A con
siderable reduction Of the force has beel
effected. There are foriy-two vessels carry
four hundred and eleven guns IN tho sil
squadrons which are established in diffsren
parts Of the world Three Of these vessel
are returning to the United States, and Foui
are used as storeships, feaviog the sctua
cruising lorce thirty-hFe vessels, carrying
three bundled aud fifty six guns. The TO-
tai number Of vessels in the navy is tWS
hundred and six, mounting seventeen hun.
dred' and iorty-thTee guns Eighty -on'
vessels Of every description are Ia use, arm
ed with six hundred and ninety-six guns.-
The number Of enlisted men in the service
including apprentices, has been reduced t
eight thousand five hundred. An increasl
Of navy yard facilities is recommended az
measure which viii, in the event Of war, b
promotiVe Of economy and security.
more thorough and Systematic survey Of tbt
North Pacific Ocean is advised IN view o
our recent acquisitions our expanding com.
merce, aud the increasing intercourse be.
tween the Pacific States and asa. The
naval pension fund, which consists Of Z
moiety Of prizes captured during the war,
amounts to $4,000 600.
Exception is taken to the sst Of 23d July
last, which reduces the interest on the fund
loaned to The government b. The secretary
as trustee, TO three per cent, instead Of SIX
per cents which wlss oTiginally ipulsted
when the Investment was made. An amend
ment of the pension laws is suggested q
remedy emissions and defects in existing
enactmenis. The expenditures of the de-
psItnent during the last fiscal year we're
$50, I20394 and the estimates for The COM
ing year amount % 81, ,eS3. sI4.
THE POST OFFICE.
The postmaster generals report furnishes
full and clear exhibit Of the operations aud
condition Of the postal service. The ordin-
ary postal revenue for the fiscal year ending
June 3Oth, 1868, was SIG, 292 800, and ihs
total expenditures embracing all the service
for which special appropriations have been
made by Congress, amounted to $50, 730 592
sowing an excess Of expenditures Of S..
S37 ,97l; deducting from the expenditures
the sum OF 81 ,S96 525 thu amount Of appro.
priations for ocean steamship and other spec
ial service, the excess Of expenditures was
SaToAAfAnoar p HNAotAE uGAp6Ebcu Uhl-
aDce in the treasury of SO 1900, 600, the act
ual sum for which special appropriation is
required to meet the deficiency is S74I, 466.
The causes which produced this large excess
of expenditures over revenue were the res
Or4tOn Of service in the insurgent
tates. and the putting into operation Of new
service established BY acts of Congress,
which amounted within the last two years
ard half to about As, 200, equal TO more
than one-third Of the whole amount Of SER
vice at the close of the war. New postal
conventions with Great Britain, North Ger
many, Belgium, the Netherlands, Swi,zeT-
land and Italy. respectively, have been car
ried into effect. Under their provisions i'm
portant improvements have resulted n e re-
duced rate Of international postage and en-
lsrged mail facilities with European coun-
tries. The cost of the United States trans
Atlantic ocean mail since January lst, 1868,
has been largely lessened under the opera
ton Of these new conventions, reduction
of over one-half having been effected under
the new management of the ocean mail
steamship service which went into effect on
that date. The attention Of Congress is in
vited to the practical suggestions and recon-
mendstioDs made in his report by the post
master general
cORDIALITT WITH FOKEIGS NATIONS.
No important question has occurred dur
ing the last year in our accustomed cordial
and friendly intercourse with Costa Rica,
Guatemala, Honduras San Salvador, France,
Austin, Belgium, Switzerland, Portugal, the
Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Nor
way, Rome Greece Turkey, Persia, Egypt,
Liberia, Morocco, Tripoli, TuBis M6scat
Siam, B0rneo aud Madagascar. Cordial re-
lations have also been maintained with The
Argentine aud Oriental republies =
THE PARAGUAY NATTER.
beeSpressed wish Of Congfess that oar
national good Offices might be rendered 10
those republics Sad also. to- Brazil and Para
quay, for briging 10 S2 end the calamitOus
war which has 50 long been raging in the
valley of the La Plata, and been assiduously
complied with and kindly acknowledged by
all the belligerents. That important nego-
tiation, howeYer,-has thus Isr been without
result. Charles Az WashbdFn, late United
States minister 70 Paraguay, having resigned
ana being desirous 70 retuFRu to The United
States.s the tear admiral cOmnisnding The
Sonti, A IA afics SO uadron was early directed
"a send a sbip-ots war to ASCENSION the cspi-
tql. Of RaraedSs to 5aceife MI WssAburn
aud his family and remgYe them from
situation which was asptfsente1 to be en-
dangered by faction and foreign war. The
Brazilian commander of the allied invading
forces refused permission to the Wasp to
pass through the blockading foTeess and that
vessel returned 70 It's accust0ned anchorage.
Remonstrsuce having been made against this
refusal, It was promptly overruied, snd the
Wasp" therefore, resumed ha1 errand, re-
ceived Mr.. Washburn and Bis smily, and
them to a safe aud conpepient sea
mort In the meantime, an excited contro-
versy had arisen between The President of
Paraguay and the late United Ssatss minis
ter. which It is understood grew out Of his
proceedings in giving asyltIn in the United
States Legations to alleged eneniiss Of that
republic The question of the right toIgiFe
asylum is always difficult AID often prOdHe-
tive Of great embarrassment in s'ates well
organized and established foreign powefs,
which refuse either to coneede or exercise
such right except to persons actually belong
ing 10 the diplomatic service. On tbs other
baud, all such powers insist upon exercising
the right Of asylum in states where the lay
OF nations is not fully acknowledged, respect
ed and obeyed, The President Of Paraguay
IS understood o-have oppos6 to Mr. Wash
bur, proceedings the inIurious aud very
i,nprois1ble charge Of personal completely ID
insurrecti,;a aud treasOns. The correspond
ence, however, has not reschsd3 tbe United
States Mr.. ..WasS burn, IN connection With
this controversy, repres snts that Two United
S ates citizens attached to the legstion were
arbitrarily seized athigTsideCgfeA leaving
the capital Of Paraguay committed 70 prison
and there Subjected to torture forthe purpose
of procuring confessions of their own cbIminsl-
ity, aud testimony to support the Presidents
allegations against the United States Hlin+
lister. r g q ..i8f 81 70. mol
Mr.. McMahon, the DewlY appointed min
lister to Paraguay, having reached the La
Plata, has been instructed to proceed with
out delay Is Asunoisn, there to investigate
the whole subject. The rear admiral COM
Rauding the United States South Atlantic
Souadron has been directed 10 attend the
new minister With Z proper naval force to
sustain such Ciast, demand as the occasion
NAV require, and to Eindicats The rights Of
3 tbs United States citizeus referred tOg,shd1of
anv others who may be exposed to danger
at the theatre Of war. With these exceptions,
friendly relations have been meintained be-
tween the Bnited States, Brszil and Para
quay.
OIHER FOREIGN RELATIONS.
Our relations during The past year Nth
Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Chill have be-
come especially friendly aud cordial Spain
and the republics Of Peru, Bolivia and Eour
ador have expressed their willingness 10 ae-
cept the meditation Of the United States FOR
terminating the war upon the South Pacific
coast. Chill has not finally declared upon
the o1estion. 10 the meantime the conflict
has praetically exhausted ITSELF since no bel
licereut OF hostiis movement has been made
by either psrty during She last tWeyeals, and
there are no indications Of 3 present purpose
10 resume hostilities on either side. Great
Britain aud France have cordially seconded