The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1877-11-15
WASHINGTON.

A government vessel has been placed
at the disposal of the city of New Orleans
for the Improvement of the harbor there.
The secretary Of war has ordered Mai.
BepyaUrd to remove the raft in Red river
above Shreveport and keeps the river open.
The house committee on pOstOffices and
postroads will recommend an appropriation
| to pay all ante-bellum southern mail con-
tractors heirs or representatives the balances
due for transportation of mails up to the 31st
of May, 1861.
The senate has confirmed the nomina-
tiOn of John Welsh to be envoy extraor>
| dinary and minister plenipOtentiary to
! England. His nomination was reported
from the foreign relations committed with
! the unanimous recommendation that 1t be
confirmed without debate or dissenting
! voice.
Representative Baker, of Indiana, has
! prepared and will introduce in the house
/ upon the first opportunity, bill to prevent
| suits being brought against farmers and
other persOns who purchase for their own
| use an implement or article which infringes
| patent right unless the purchaser of such
! implement or article knows at the time of
the purchase that patent right is lnfringed
! The public debt has been reduced dur
| ing October a4ittle more than four million
| and quarter, of which about two millions
and a half is accounted for by tue retirement
| and cancellation Of legal-tender notes. The
coin balance in the treasury, against which
there are no liabilities, and which is, there's
fore, available Tor purposes of resumption,
amounts to sIXty-fOUr million dOliars-an
increase for the month nearly twelve million.
Five-eights of the gold balance needed to
resume have already been secured.
A large number of grants for railroads
have expired by limitation, and II IS regarded
| important that action should be taken bv
] fO fait Of no
grants or extend the time for the completion
of the roads. Should the latter course be
pursued, the claims of bona fde settlers
upon lapsed lands should be protected. 1t
IS recommended that congress withdraw all
! lands chiefly valuable for pine timber from
the operation of the homestead and pre-.
emtiOn laws and from sale except for cash:
also that the secretary of the interior be au-
thonzed to sell timber from the public lands
III the mining districts also to sell timber
upon any unsurveyed land not mineral when
needed Tor actual settlement before public
surveys; also that law be enacted PrOvid-
ing for the care and custody of timber lands
unit for agriculture, and for the gradual
sale OF agriculture, and for the gradual sale
| OF timber and for the perpetuatiOn OF the
growth of timber on such lands; legislation
! authorizing seizures of timber cut from pub
lie lands without resort to the OdjOUs process
of the courts is also recommended. The
United States marshal for the southern dis
/
ties bordering on the Gulf of Mexico, in q
in a suit of the United States against John
Manning and others, a large amount Of tim
her, principally pine logs, estimated at over
$4,000 in number. There will also be seized
a large amount of charcoal and turpentine
This action stops trade which has employed
many vessels carrying timber or lumber tt
foreign and domestic markets. Supervising
Architect Hill in his report says the granite
contracts known as the fifteen per cent
contracts have been modified for the govern
ment buildings at Cincinnati, st. Louis anC
Philadelphia. The following are the bal
ances credited to the appropriations of sep
: tember 3Oth for different works: Chicag
custsmhOuse, S199,2S4 Cincinnati custom
house, $2S9,185; CovingtOn courthouse, $l4
$50; Evansville custOmhOuse, $4OS74; Gran
Rapids courthouse, $36, $40; Lincoln (Neb
' courthouse, 1870; Little Rock custom
house, $39,5O1; Memphis custOmhOusC
$1Ol,859 Nashville custOmhouse, 1922
Parkersburg (W. Va.) courthouse, 5000
Port Huron custOmhOuse, $12,1 ,16O; st. LOui
cUstomhOuse, $215,111. Expensive alter
tons have been completed in the custom
house at Louisville and PittSburg. Estimate
for the ensuing year will be included in tn
report of the secretary of the treasury.