The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-12-08

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can be spared from current expenses. Snip
plemented by these, our navy, armed with
/ Inc destructive weapons OF modern warfare,
manned by our seamen, and In charge OF oM
Instructed officers, will presents force power
fnl for the home purposes OF . responsible
though peaceful nation.
PosroFFIcB DsrARTMEHT.
Tbs report OF the Postmaster General,
herewith transmitted, gives a full history Of
the workings Of the department for the year
| Just past. II will be observed that the def
cheney 70 be supplied from the general tres.
sury Increased over the amount required for
the preceding year. In a country so vast in
area as the United States, with large por-
tons sparsely settled 1t must be expected
| that this important service will be more or
Il less burden upon the treasury for many
years to come. But there is no branch Of
| the public service which interests the whole
lipeopie more than that Of cheap and rapid
| transmission OF the mails tosevery inhabited
l;paft OF our territory Next TO the free
School the post.cfdceis the great educator of
1.-THE people, and It may we'll receive the sup.
I.port III the General Government. The
lsubsidy of $4,000 per, anHum given
to vessels of the United States for carrying.
1.-THE mails between: New York and Rio
ltde Janeiro having ceased on the
both ffday of September last we are
without direct mail facilities with the South
American States. This is greatly to be re.
GREETED, and / do not hesitate TO recommend
the authorization of q renewal Of that con-
| tract, and also that the service may be in-
creased from monthlyto eni.moDthly trips
The commercial advantages to se gained by
a. direct, lire Of. American steamers to the.
South American States viii ar1outWeigh the
expense Of the service. By act OF Congress
approved March 8, 1875, almost all matter,
whether properly mail-matter or not, may;
be sent. any distance through the mails In
packages not exceeding four. pounds In
weight for the sum Of sixteen cents per
pound. So far asthe transmission Of real mail
matter gees, this would seem entirely proper,
tut suggest that the law be so amended as
10 exclude from the malls merchandise of all
descriptions, and limit this transportation to
articles enumerated and which may be
classed as mail.matter proper. - !, -
BLACK HILLS AND INDIAN AFFAIRS.
The discovery of gold in the Black Hills,
q portion of the Sioux reservation, has had
| the effect to induce large emigration of
miners to that point. Thus far the effort
to protect the treaty-rights of the Indians to
that section has been successful. but the next
year will certainly witness large increase OF
such emigration. The negotiations for the
relinquisbmento fthe gold.felds having failed,
| it will be necessary for Congress to adopt
some measure to relieve the embarrassment
growing out of the causes named The
Secretary of the Interior suggests that the
supplies now appropriated for the susie
nance of the people being no longer obliga-
tory under the treaty Of 1858, but simply q
gratuity, may be issued or withheld at his
discretion. The condition of the Indian
Territory, to which have referred In several
! of nv former annual messages, remains prac'
tically unchanged. The Secretary Of the In.
l3terior has taken measures to obtain full re-
port OF the condition Of that Territory, and
will make it the subject Of a special report
at an early day. 1t may then be neces'
sary to make some further recommen.
dation in regard : to legislation for
the government of that territory.
| THE PATENT OFFICE. =.
The steady growth and increase OF the
business of the Patent Office indicates 10
some MEASURE the progress of the industrial
activity of the country, The receipts OF the
office are in excess of its expenditures, and
the office generally is in prosperous and
satisfactory condition.
/ g" TIE LAND OFFICE. - - =.
The report of the General Land Office
shows that there were 2,459, COL acres less
disposed Of during this than during the last
wear, More than one half Of this decrease
was In lands disposed of under the home-
stead and timber.culture laws. The cause
OF this decrease is supposed to be found in
the grasshopper scourge and the droughts
which prevailed 50 extensively in some of
the frontier States and Territories during
THAT time as to discourage and deter entries
by actual settlers. The cash receipts were
Hess BY $500, 1922. % than during the preceding
wear. The entire surveyed area of the public
domain is 650, 253, 094 acres, of which 26,-
EO77. 53l were surveyed during the past year,
leaving 1854, All, 1852 acres still unsuryeyed.
The, report of the Commissioners presents
many interesting suggestions in regard to
the management and disposition of the pub.
lie domain, and the modification Of existing
laws, the apparent importance OF which
should insure for them the careful consider.
alton of Congress. s.
The number of pensioners still continues
to decrease, the highest number having been
reached during the year ending June 80,
E1S73. During the last year 1851 names
were added to the rolls, and 1877 were
dropped therefrom, showing a net decrease
Eof ], 420.-But while the number Of pension
ers has decreased, the annual. amount due on
the pension.rols has increased $44, 1878.
This is caused by the greatly.increased ave:
rage rate of pensions, which, by the liberal
Legislation of Congress, has increased from
500. 26 in 1872 to S103.91 in 1S75--to each in
nm ino in rho quDr9na
|lrate of Is per cent. in the three years. Da-
I!ring the year ending June 30, 1876, there were
PAID on, accounted pensions, including the
Iiexpense of disbursement, S29, 1888, 116, being
S910, 1892 less than was paid the pre-.
amount of expenditures was produced
'by the decrease In the amount Of
Iarrearages due on allowed claims and on pen.
lisions, the rate of which was Increased by
1.-THE legislation of the preceding session OF
Congress. At the close of the last fiscal year
there were on the pension:rolls, 234,82l per-
sons, .of whom 210, 1863 were army pensioners,
105,47S being inyaIids, and 104SS5 widows
and dependent relatives : {, APO were navy
pensioners, of whom 1886 were inyalids,
and 7s4 widows and dependent relatives !;
81 ,08 were pensioners of the war OF 1872,
| 1855 of whom were survivors, and 5,l63
we're widows; Tits estimated that S29 $780,
| 600 will berequired for the payment of pen.
sions for the next fiscal year-an amount
S963,000 less than the estimate for the pre-
sent year. -
TIE GEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS
| have been prosecuted with energy during
the year, covering areas of about forty thou.
sand souare miles in the Territories of Colo
RADIO, Utah, and New Mexico, developing the
agricultural and mineral resources and fur
,,;,h{rr, ;ntoroofiny rc;entific and toDOpraDfl.