The New York Herald Newspaper, December 10, 1858, Page 2

2 THE AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE. resting Debate on the Slave Trade Reso- jution in the Legislature. Savavs, Nov. 23, 1858. ‘The Slavery Dill having been read, a’motion to recon wider it was agreed to, and Mr. PRuto offered the follow- ing | oreambie or amendment, which was accepted: — hereas, the eleventh section of the fourth article of the constitution of this State declares that ‘ There shal! be no future importation of slaves into this State from Africa om any other foreign place, after the first day of October next,” and without expressing any opinion in re d to the policy of re-opening the African siave trade, but believing that the right to hold slaves as property exists everywhere, except in such localities as by positive Jaw it is prohibited, we rogard the further retention of such clause in the constitution of this State as unneces- -~ Therefore, &c. ATKINSON resumed bis argument of Saturday—the right to purchase and to held are as inseparable as the Siamese twins. dangering the other, and, Mr. President, to show that the dielnen dave trade isa_common law right I will again bo wd ‘the Hon. Hiram Warner, in a speech, April 1, 1856, lelivered in the House of Representatives:—“This ques- tion,” he says, ‘‘came before the people of Great Britain in the year 1817. A French vessel called La Louis, en- gaged in the African slave trade, was captured by a 'Brit- ish cruiser—France at this time not having entered into treaty stipulations abolishing that trade. The vessel was takea into a British port, condemned by the Vice Admiral- ty Court as a lawful prize, being engaged in an unlawful traffic, forbidden by the universal law of nations. An ap peal was had to the higber Court of Admiralty. This court reversed the judgment of the court below, and held that the African slave trade was not unlawful."’ The judgment of the court was read by Lord Stowell, and Iwill read a artof it. (Mr. A.read.) The time has arrived in the istory of this country on this subject, and the Southern people ought to pluck the beam out of their own eyes before they at tempt to cast the mote out of the eyes of our Northern brethren. If we first purge our constitution and our laws of those abolition heresies, we can then consistently ask the North to believe with us: but while we acknowledge the evil of slavery by prohibiting it from our shores, can we expect them td call it anything but asin’ Thero 1s but one way to fight this question, and that is to place it on the right ground, the strong ground, We demoralize our course by taking Weak positions and making unfounded admissions. Ihave not the slightest doubt of our final success, ifwe take right ground, and shape cordingly. If we take wrong ground, I The fire of fanaticism is coming down upo to resist it successfully we must put on the panoply of law, and arm ourselves atevery point. This we cannot do while we acknowledge the means by which we acquired it ought to be prohibited. Mr. SPALDING, of McIntoeh—I would not the prejudice of this bill, nor to place the Joeman who has just taken his seat ih a wrong 1 It make an error I beg that he will correct me. On Saturday he called gentlemen to order on the subject of the African slave trade; but if this bill does ot contemplate the re opening of this trade, fo1 is 1? Ishould be sorry ifthe gentleman ha asa bone of discord, Georgia the existence evemics, How! ya word to her his c! The I reter him to the Missour of thi that this section is one Just after the clause wi ussion, it denies the Legis Mr. 8. read the section.) ) lature the right to e pate. Mr. ATmxson—That’s the good part Mr. Sraupinc—Why did tuey pot aim to sirike that out | >, don’t want to do that Mr. The whole section is fraught with by do they want it st if not to slave trade? The gentleman t is'a blot on ‘utcheon of Georgia. ‘The question re: tself into e this: will Senators take preference to those of those stitution? I hope, sir, the Mr. SLavanTER, of Doug for voting for the bill that the constitution does not prohibit the slave ‘rade; it cannot Prevent their importation; it has no jurisdiction. How could Georgia prevent their landing? Have we a navy? Congres bas the power te enact laws upon this subject. The constitution of the Unite ates £' Congress the contro! of commerce. Congress bas declared this traffic piracy; our fathers saw that they had vested such power, but they expressly declared that it should not be exerted before 180! clause aflect the slave trade? There is no power in Georgia to try the crew of a captured slaver. This is only an idle inopera- tive declaration against the slave trade. It is conceded by ail that the same arguments used aguinst the acquisition of the slave apply to the right to hold. Whatever may have been the opinions of the meu of 1790, experienc: shown that slavery isthe proper sphere for the neg that it is best, both for the wh gentlemen say we dex stance Washington an men had very enlar ots who framed our con will not pass. , would give his reasons ives How cau the repeal of th incorrect views, in regard to the rights and equality mankind; since their day, too, opinions have changed, and J purpose to show that in 1817 an act was passed for dispos: { Africans wrongly brought into G ; (ue the act.) This provides that they shall be sold by the executive, as be may deem best for the mterest of the State. Now, what would have boen the best policy in the case of the Echo ’—to have sold the negroes to humane masters, or hem to a state of savage barbarism? What has Has it uot demonstrated the fact that the highest elevation in the scale of cnlightenment the negro attains is in a state of slavery ?—in being subser vient to the white man’ Public opinion in regard to the Colonization Society has undergone a change, and every man who has examined into this subject agrees upon this point. This clause is inoperative=no i ment bas carried it into effect. It answers no good, and does barm. This very clause recognizes them as slaves in Africa. It cannot be said thir was « ‘ted as a matter of policy. Our forefathers never dre competition between white and black, fr t sort of casuistry which once said it w: rs tem, but right because it could not be pow Obsolete ; observation aud experience demoustrate the fact. Look at Jomaica and Liberia—docs that not prove that the enslaving of was right, Uh stem may have been com Still it has been the menced from avaricious motives’ means of carrying into effect one of the a’ wise provisions of Providence. Why keep this clause? It is a direct attack upon the slave trade, the origin by which we hold our property. lam in favor of repeal laws w have have all fa were intended Mr. Sravpixo—The gentieman has argued this qt ikea lawyer. Hebarps upon a decision of the Supreme Court and his own construction of this clause. Tt has no doubt convinced him, and has failed to convince me. The tm this bill is that it tends to repeal of which, if repealed, would throw our coasts open to the introduction of slaves by any stray vessel. Gen tlemen deny us the rightto argue the qnestion of impor tation. The constite Las prevented this importation, and I hepe Senators wi sebject of such importavee Mr. Bricra— After so the gentleman from Dov been passed by Congress on this subject n accomplishing the ends for which tion say. There is no man on this orgin, who feels a deeper reverence for those nobie patriots of ‘76 than I de ifar, far distantbe the day ule wish memory. 1 not way that th jot When it war i 4, butt allow it t remain a wood at gentleman Dougherty has aid that opinions ha lergone a ¢ mtitut repealed, would The geotieman f eer of this h and break the Gret link in 1 property. What am have been put * bye who hae invest Mr. Taowas, of Gwinnett, thoug mt th Sepators from Stewart and Morga n very excellent had they been ma t Senate. He had been a listen ore thonglit the atv eanetion vote y the f th brought bet vie argument art two yoo The matter rn Commercial Conven re the Inet and it war done solely for the purpose of ton, f gradually getting the p fated st te As oe in favor of the tafe in African slaves. Thie bill, in bis judyment, was but an additional movement int greot scheme, It was uselese to attempt to d th was intended to favor the re-opening of trade. of it ie meaningless and absurd. The gentioman from Oougherty had said that postatat’ had bern paserd to cary out the clause fp the constitution. and alluded tothe set of /81T. Tt was cloar to him that that act was pateod for the very purpose of carrying the constitution into effect. It preser) da penalty for the importation of Africans, aod that wee that they should become contierated an: property of the State. Mr. T. went into the history the const tutional provision, showing that it was no con of slavery, as alleged, but a measure agreed spon ae a sound policy for the State. It war designe’ to Africans beyond the wants of the peo , for no other purpose. MMe con ‘one. Slavery is only valuable when it Boys, nad When slavery consys Wo be profilavie it mus, You cannot destroy the one without en: for men to take position | | tr | reflect welt before voting upon a | NEW YORK HERALD, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1858. cease to exist. The re-opening of the trade, in bis opinion, instead of strengthening the instdution of slavery, tended inevitably to its weakening and final overthrow. The same considerations that induced our fathers to frame the | protibitery clause in the constitution should equally in | sidered it should Lie on the table, and got be called up | during the presaet session THE ARify. | fluence us at this day, if not toa greater degree, as the | iustitution bas extended and now involves aillons whea i formerly involved only thousands. Mr. Cocuran spoke in favor of the bill, He appre hended no depreciation either of slaves or their profits by an increase of their numbers, He wanted enough brought over to give one to every white man iu the Soata, and thereby insure his fidelity to the institution, r. Reynoups made a few earnest remarks a which be characterized as unwise, impolitic | terious to all classes of or cmazens. “y Mr. Pare should vote against the bill, and for two rea- sons: he had reverence for the constitution of his fathers, and was unwilling to change it in any respect; the second | was, he looked upon it as an entering wedge to the impor- | tation of more slaves into Georgia, which he regarded as | being a ruinous policy. He would vot even though Georgia were a State out of the Un ou, and by herself. Mr. Tecxer would have preferred that this bill had never been introduced; but as it was here, and Senators | had to vote either for or against it, he was willing to goas far as the next in defence of slavery. He believed tt was | Tight, morally, legally and politically. ‘This bili, though, | was introduced for a purpose, or it was entirely nagatory. | | It was useless for Senators to tell him it was intended to erase a blot from the constitution of Georgia. It the South wished to people the Western wilds, Mexico, Gua- | temala and South America with slaves, let them do it,and | be cared not bow soon, But that was not the question; it is, Whether iis the policy of Georgia to embark in the | work of importing more slaves from Africa. He had no | hesitation on this point--he believed it was not,and should | vote aguiust the bill. The provision in the constitution | Was no stain upon our escutcheon, It had been a ques- | r twenty years whether she would al- low the importation of slaves from the other States of the | Union, and she had twice punished the act of their intro. duction with a heavy penalty; how strong, then, becomes | the objection to the inportation in our midst of savages from Africa! He considered the policy a bad one, aud be- | lieving that the Dill was intended to inaugurate it, he should oppose its passage. Mr. THOMAsS—It some bold abolitionist or black repabli- can had attempted to graft’ on the constitution their prin- ciples, the argument of the gentleman would haye been more to the point. The gentleman who introduced this Dill, in accepting the amendment to-day, has clearly shown his intention of re-opening the slave trade. [vn tied in taking the position that the Dill intends (ie op of the slave trade. If they can demonstrate the public good requires the introduction of slaves, 1 should be satisfied, ‘The gentleman from Dougherty con- tends that the United States controls this thing and not | our ex ¥ 1 bog to join issue with him. Yue © su tut United States presupposes the r | mit; if they can admit, they can also proniti m not | prepared to sapction the opinion that the consiitution of | the United States controls this matter, The geatleinan’s arguments go to show that it is right to re-open the slave | wade, and, notwithstanding the preamble, if the bill be intended t eany effect, it must be t If we repeal the we have no law of prohibition, only the power of the Re government to prohibit; whereas now we bave both. Repeating it would be virtually encouraging those who wish to engage in the slave trade, The hour for adjournment had arrived. At3 P.M. Mr. T. resuined:»—The people of Georgia looked upon this question ax settled. Gentlemen say that the cluuse is inoperative; if so, why strike it outy Why destroy what is useless? There must be an intention, and that intention is the reopening of the slave trade, Gon- tlemen say that there are not statutory provisions which | carry inte effect this clause of the constitution. Does it | not give Congress the right, and was not that the object of the clause® The law of 1808 recognizes the validity of this | law. At that time there was no provision in the coastita tion to carry Africans back. ‘The money, the proceeds of | the sale of negroes, und: into the treasury of th it not provided that the | The humanity of the legisiators mace them enact thislaw. | The only point is, is it expedient, is it right now to intro- | duce or encourage the slave trade? If it was right to put | this provision in the constitution, ft is right to keep it | there. What was the motive which actuated the men of 1799? They uo doubt thought they were acting for the good of the people, and in my mind they were. At that time many slaves were being | brought into the country, and they foresaw how many would be brought. Sup: pose this clause not to have been engrafied upon the constitution, what would be the cousequencer Why, by this time there would probably have been twice as many staves here as there are now. I take the ground | that our fathers considered that we had as many of them as the necessities of the country required, Do the re- quirements of trade, or the wants of the country require that we should open this trade? It would weaken ‘our property. labor now pays the owner, but would it pay with double the number of the preseut slave popu- lation? We have always made about as much cotton as was needed; the demand bas rarely exceeded the supply ; but suppose this production to have been twice the | amount, it is probable that the price of this commodity would have been much lower. Mr. ATKINson thonght the subject. The preamble says opinion,”’ &e. Mr. T.—I intended to argue the question, sir. The gen tleman from Dougherty took the position and argued the benetits to result from a re-openiby of the slave trade. Mr. SLATGHTER rose to explain. Mr. Waxp, of Butts, made a remark Mr. Taowae—I am alway’s particular to try and keep my debate in order. I was going ov to demonstrate that an increase in slays would hecessarily increase productions, and my arguinent is that the value of slaves ts in propor: tion to the number of the slaves. Of course, when you in. crease the number you decrease the value, and thus weaken the institution. Here, Mr. President, is the main | point. If the bill is intended to effect anything, this is | what it is intended to do. The Senator from Morgan con- sidered this clause as affecting the title to our property. think, on the contrary, that it is a guarantee, because the property would ise in value if more should be brought in. Mr. T. read the portion in relation to eman. pation, the wording of which proved the object of the framers bad been the protection of our property. Mr, Cochrane, of Wiikinson—If J understand this bill, it rtion of the constitution which ntroduction of slay think that it ought to be stricken out. As to tith mmMon oF statutory law, I believe all agree that we hol our property oa com | mon law principles. I know, sir, that the bill does aot contemplate the re-opening of the slave trade, but Iam not er footed upon that cround. We can’t do it: but as far as policy is concerned, I believe it would be right. It 4,000,000 to 6,000,000 of slaves almost control the com merce of the world. if we had a greater number, say | 10,000,000, I ask Senators if they think the result would De deleterious? T should be glad to see the clause stricken out, and them (slaves) to cotton fields. Who, if the price were reduced, would be beneit 4° The poor man, sir; and their sympathies would be | enlisted ne it is this portion of our popula. tion whe will eventually hove (9 protect our institutions | Let this matter be regulated by the general government, | not Georgia, Look at the vast amount of land ip south | western Georgin which cannot be reciaimed for want of them. I think ‘would be better off bad we four to one. ReyNoups, of Newton-—I regret the position in Tam placed; but the bill is before the Senate for he ultraism or ianaticiom of the North cannot de ‘om doing my dv Gentlemen on the ot m any intention te re-open the ® le, anil nileman getting off of the “without expressing any T believe them to be honest in th tions. But it is well known that conv ‘« been heid agitating this® question. We all agrec that slavery is right before God an in an 4 isan, and arc fearing a direc brie ever erected under the #u befall, jet not be the ¢ always hoon a law x people Mr. jed te the 4 we © botter to g tem ) this subject? t 10 svor of re-opening the slave 5 should we repeal thie clanse, that thie wae the object of Georgiar Without knowing anything about law, I p fa saver were captured at brought imte Georg) be seized by the United States Marsha urs we hay € under thix con tis time no one bas complained. The b er lived have been in this Legislature from that time t ed it altered, and if it ws wot be no harm to het it aan ft property ten of opening the ereign independent State If nerease the he nem, eved that poor men h y He bs ch, and carried their ein ye In voting against uyaity to the South coud be called im que Mr. Tecwn of at telvery i# right peeqientiy rigbt te purchw to Xtent agree with the gentleman of the must have been introduced for eome p « tory. Senators need pot tell me their only a Dlot from the eseuteheon of vject. Mr. T. was up p argued upon th aw fr re-enacted in rela slaves from r Hhad been deculed that « on aght here, low much grester nent againet intredue ng barbarians. There wae ton his mind as he right, &., but { importation was another thing n ting ageinst the bill was onld be made a point in elections for the next i not think that an increase in mum open the China trade demand. value, Once he for ons of Wirtaner feit calle pon to vote either f ayainet the conseq < which would res m the action of the Senate on thie bill would be imp (nr action on thie bill wal be heralded, wot only gia, but over the whole There wae no reason why the }!| should not pase discussion had taken a wide range—gone off on the slavery eubjectaa tion which was not before the Senate. The constitution United States said that em gration should pot cease + before 1808, We a this constitution. good and great men framed it, Our conetitation was adopted in 1709: only twenty four counties then composed the State, (Mr. Whit aker’é was a long speech, 20 long that we could not keep np with him.) He was going to vole for the bill. When ir, W. closed, the bill, upon call for ayes and nays, was lost—opee, 40, naye, 47. The next day Mr. Yours, of Union, moved to recon filer the vote upon the (et) bill to strike from the con stitution the clause prohibiting the African siave trade Some discussion ensued, in which Messrs. Young, Spal- ding, Slaughter, Whitaker, Bartlett, Atkinson, Cooper and | Guerey took part. The motion toreconsider was carried — yeas, 62; nays, 38. Tt was the distinet nnderstanding—propored by the mover of the bill before taking the youe—tuat if revvu. Annual Report of the Sccretary of War. Six—The authorized strength of the army, a8 posted, is 18,165, but the actual strength on the Ist of July was | 17,408. ‘These troops compose the whole numerical force of our army, distributed throughout the States and Terri- | tories of the entire confederacy, manning ali the fortilea- | tions oceupied by troops, holding all the posts now garri- | soued, defending all out extended frontiers, and protect- | ing, as far as possible, the different routes extending across the continent from the Mississippi valley to our possessions on the Pacific. | DMOMENSE LABORS OF THE ARMY. | The absolute demands for men in the various posts, | stations, &c., as well as for what might be termed the po- lice operations of the army, left only thirteen regiments for actual serviee in the field. And upon this smail force: nurpbering little over eleven thousand men, devolved the arduous duty of prosecuting all the Indian wars, which have extended this year from the British possessions on the Pacific to the border settlements of Texas, as well as of crushing the rebellion in Utah, which, from its vin- dictive spirit and large numbers, threatenod at its outset to become, and indeed was, very formidable ‘The labors performed by the army since my last report will very fully appear from the reports of the different bureaus, herewith transmitted, and to which I call your particular attention, It may be safely asserted that no army of the same size ever before periormed, in such a length of time, marches and movements of such extent, surmounting in their progress such formidable obstacies. TUE EXTENT OF TERRITORY TRAVERSED BY THE TROOPS, These regiments have accomplished within the year a march, averaging for each the extraordi- distarce of twelve hundred and thirty-four Tiese marehes, in the main, have been made cvgh the vninbabited solitudes and sterile deserts ch stretch away between the settlements of the At- ° and Pacitlé coasts, upon routes which afforded me iz to facilitate the advance, except only the herbage whieh the beasts of burden might pluck by the way- side. Every item of supply, from a horseshoe nail to the largest’ piece of ordnance, has been carried from the de- pots, along the whole line of those tedious marches, to be ready atthe exact moment when necessity might call for them. Thecouutry traversed cvuld yield nothing, The Iabor , foresight, method, and care requisite to systema- tize, and the energy, activity, and persistence to carry out such operations by the diflerent departments, deserve the aitention of the country, and, in my opinion, its commen- dation too, No disaster has befallen the army throughout its immense ramifications: and the privations, hardships, toils, and dangers to w it has been continually sub- jected have been borne without a murmur. THE INDIAN WARS IN. WASITINGTON AND There has been for a long time much exhibi tion of an insubordiuate and hostile spirit among the Incian tribes of Washington and Oregon Territories, and during the past spring and early part of summer it broke out into open hostility. A very large force of Indians attacked a comparatively small party of our peo- ple, who, after an incflectual resistance and the joss of somie brave officersand men, were forced to retreat. This was the signal for a general rising of the tribes, and an ily formed between the powerful tribes of Spokanes and Cwur d’Alenes, together with many . gling warriors from among the Palouses and other tribe: Immediately upon this outbreak, Brevet Brigadier Gene- ral Clark, in command of the department of the Pacitic, with great promptuess, and with a wise forecast, concen- trated ip a masterly manner the Widely scatteret forces under his command, and precipitated them into the heart of the Indian country, where a powerful Indian force was already assembled to meet him. The campaign was pro- secuted with great activity and vigor by Colonel Wright, of the Ninth Infantry, who gave battle to the Indians on several’ occasions, always routing them completely. After beating their forces, capturing many prisoners, and destroying large amounts of property, and laying waste their country, the Indians surrendered at discretion, with their wives and children, and sued ubjectly for peace. The criminal offenders amongst them, heretofore guilty of murder and rapine, the chief instigators of all dissatistaction amongst those tibes, and the immediate cause of the recent hostilities, were surrendered, tried and executed. ‘A permancnt peace has been established by treaties en- tered into with them, and the army has been already dis- tributed to points where the presence of a force was greatly needed. The officers and men of this command deserve the thanks of the country for the efficieat and soldierly manner in which they have borne themeelves in the prosecution of the campaign. THE WAK IN NEW MEXICO AND TEXAS The forces employed in the Territory of New Mexico have been called upon alsoto repel Indian aggressions and chastise the formidable and warlike tribe of the Navajos. These savages bave for some time evinced a spirit of in- subordipation and discontent, which at last broke out into an open defiance of our authority, and was followed by the murder of a negro man within the precinets of the camp. The declinwg health of Brevet Brigadier Gener: land necess.tated his return to the States, which devolved the command of that department upon Colonel Bonneville. This officer promptly and with very proper foresight pat on foot the expedition against the Indians, aud the cam paign bas, upto the last advices, been conducted with ekill, abilit: tivity and courage. The enemy has been met on several occasions, aud always routed, although our disparity of nombers has always been very great. Our troops have succeeded, also, in taking a considerable amount of the Indian property, consisting of cattle and grain, This war is sti! prosecuted with vigor, and the Indian# show Lo disposition to abandon their warlike atti- tude or ask for peace. The Navajos are very rich in herds and flocks, and possess considerable quantities of grain, enough at least to enable them for some time to keep up resistance and prosecute the war. They can pro- bably number about three thousand mounted warriors, an extremely formidable force, particularly in the | wild and remote country they inhabit. There vhall be no relaxation in prosecuting this war until the savages are brought absolutely under the yoke. Tn the State of Texas and upon ite borders there has been, and still i#, at this time, raging an Indian war be tween our troops and that most tormidable of all the tribes, the Camanches of the plains, aud their kinsmen and allies,the Kiowas. These people have, for a long time, been committing petty outrages upon the inhab:- tants of our frontiers and travellers upon the roads lead. ing im the viciuity of their haunts. These depredations brought on at last a fight between our troops and their warriors, whieh for flerceness and determination was very remarkable in Indian warfare. The Indians were routea with considerable lots of killed and wounded by Our troops, most efficiently commanded by Major Van Dorn, who aleo succeeded in capturing a vamber of their ® This war we may look upon as just begun, and the pro dabilities are that it wil! be one of tereeness, and may be ove of considerable ion, Every means will be taken to prosecute it with vigor and to terminate it with all pos- sible speed, You will see, sir, from thie rapid narrative, that our little army has been ealled upon, during the last year, to carry on a war extending over nearly the whole space embraced between the parallels of 32 degreee and 48 de zrees of north latitude, and extending over a space of more than fifteen hundred miles. It we not, then, a mat of surprise that our thirteen regiments these wars and the Mormon rebeilion, should hav performance of thexe arduous services, at of marching an ave A ipo the v in such matner a* to afford protection, as far ae possible, to the border settlements of that region, Much | apprehension, from the bostile mar ons of the sa- veges bey ond the contines of owa and Minnesota, has been felt by the frovtier eettiements of those Stater, and I regret ir force is not suflicent te spare troops in such numbers as will quiet altogether these alarms. MAP OF PORTS 4 are Ihave caured a map to be which accompanies hows ata glance all the military cade to ¥ them wheneves + of wil ovMacies, If these oveupied by fixe | furni#h ab exact estimate of cost, both for supplies and their transportation. Bat it is | very far otherwire, when the supplies are contingent upon | the accidental number of troops which the exigencies ¢ the ecrvice may require, ata given point, and the season of the year when they are to be me | posts and their postion: Pp, and the extraordinary d by our troops, Gemoustrate that beth and the proper efficiency of the army require an increase of t. Whit 1 bave ne mmendation to make upon the eubject, knowing upon this subject at the last as 1 do, the action of Congress n, yet I foel coustrained and the country, that any army in giving complet protection to our frontiers may be set down to the want of numbers, and not to any want of activity on the part (ovr troope Upon this point Teg leave t views of the general ‘n al! your attention to the Y¥ in connection with the Ter my last report, deserve par ticular netic have een in themselves impor lant, and fraught with Inoat important results With the inception and of the Mormon re. bellion, up to the meeting of Congress last year, the | country is familiar, It is jar also with the im fa | portance aseribed to it by Congress, with the reasons as signed by that body for appropriating the large #ume of money” necessary for crushing the treason at & single | blow © preparations at (iret mode th | object I have heretofore reported | for fitting out the expedit deitfienlt Territory, have ect of official commun: meee result pati not until now cation, nor have the bigh!) ng from the policy of that movement been as yet brought eneficial consequ F notice or to that of the pub ie r the open acts of war perpetrated by the Mormon peop against the United States. in seizing the provision frais of our army, and destroying them with fire, and in ster ng and driving off the herds of cattle and horses be- long ng to the command, eae wore essential, a8 everyhody supposed, to the maintenance of on troops and their protection et starvation, these people continaed to manifest every Proof of a fixed determination to push their treason to the extremity of bloodehed and war, They not only proclaimed martial law in that Territory with outa jext, bot againet every prine ple of justice, of law the constitution, they embodied their whole force of effective men and kept them coustantly drilled and under arms, hovering about our encampment, seeking a favora ble moment, if one should ever offer itaelf, to cut off and destroy the whole command. They fortified the narrow mountain passes leading towards the town and chief set tlements where they reside, and collected from remote neighborhoods all the deluded people belonging to their sect. Kvery preparation which indicated a spirit of de vermined kostuity, of revellion, of treason and war, cha racterized these people in every action, and nothing but menace and defiance towarés the United States autaori (es ever fell from the lips of their chief impostor or . » of his confederates When a small force was first sent to Uta the Mormo attacked and destroyed their trains, and mate genera} attack upon the eolumu, When a sutiicient Was put on foot to put success beyond ail doubt, thine Dluster and bravado sank into whispers of terror aad sub mission, ‘This movement upou that Territory was deminded by the moral sentiment of the country, was due to a vindica- tion of its laws aud constitution, and was sential to de monstrate the power of the federal gov ont to chas. Use insubordination and quell rebeliion, Lowever formida- ble from numbers or position it might seem to be, ade. quate preparations, and a prompt advanae of the army, was an act of mercy and humanity to those deiuded peo- ple, for it prevented the effusion of blood These people, however, till evince a spirit of insubord\- nation and moody discontent. They keep up strictly their organization, which hasfor its object and end the com- plete exclusion of federal authority from all participation in the governmental affairs of the Territory, beyond a mere hollow show. The head man or chief of their sect rules the people with absolute power, and under his dictation the temper they manifest towards the govern- ment and the army is that of a conquered people tor a foreign enemy. The necessity which called for tho presence of troops in Utah will require a strong force still to be kept there. The reports from the Commission- ers sent to Utah for the pygpose of ascertaining the exact condition of things are alftady in your hands, aud are at once useful and interesting. Nothing could be more praiseworthy than the just and impartial maaner in which those gentlemen discharged their delicate and re- sponsible duties. The conduct of both officers and men attached to tho army of Utah bas been worthy of ail praise. The com- mander, Brevet Brigadier General A. 3. Johnaton, who joined his command ata time of great trial and embar- Tasement, with a calm and lofty bearing, with a true and manly sympathy for all around him, infused into his com- mand a spirit of serenity and contentment which amount- ed to cheerfulness, amidst uncommon hardships and pri- vations which were unabated throughout the tedious and inclement season of the winter. The destruction of our trains by the Mormons, the disasters which necessarily. flowed from it, drove General Johnston to the necessity of sending a detachment of men to New Mexico for supplies eesential to. preserve the whole command from the great- est extremity, and to enable him to prosecute his march with all practicable despatch. ‘THE DRILIANT MARCH OF CAPT, MARCY. ‘This expedition was intrusted to Capt. R. B. Marey, of the Fifth Infantry; and, without intending to make an in- vidious comparison between the services of offizers where allare meritorious, itis but just to bring the conduct of this officer und bis command to your especial notice. It may be safely affirmed that, in the whole catalogue of hazardous expeditions scattered so thickly through the history of our border warfare, filled as many of them are with appalling tales of privation, hardship, and suffering, ‘not One surpaszes this, and im some particulars it bas been hardly equatied by any. Captain Marey left Fort Bridger on the 24th day of No. vember, 1857, with a command of forty enlisted men and twenty in men, herders, packers, and guides. ‘Their course lay through an almost trackless wilderness, over lofty and rugged mountains, without a pathway or a human habitation to guide or direct, in the very depth of winter, through snows for many miles together reaching to the depth of five feet. Their beasts of burden very rapidly perished until very few were left; their supplies gave out: their luggage was abandoned: they were driven to subsist upon. the carcasses of their dead horses and mules; all the men be- came greatly emaciated; some were frost bitten; yet not ‘one rourmur of discontent escaped the lips of a single man. Their mission was one of extreme importance to the move: ments of the army, aud great disaster might befall the command if th devoted men failed to bring succor to the camp. Th d one ant all volunteered for this ser- vice, and, althongh they tm ght freeze or die, yet they would not complain. ‘After a march of fifty-oue days they emerged from the forests, and found themselves at Fort Massachusetts, in New Mexico. During their whole march Captain Marcy shared all the privations of the common soldier—march- ing, sleeping and cating as they did. After a short delay at this post, for the purpose of recruiting bis party and procuring all necessary supplies for his return, he set out for the army at Fort Bridger. In the meantime information reached the department that the Mormons were organizing a party to intercept Captain Marcy’s return with the supplies, to “ stampede”’ his animals, and cut off bis party. Prompt measures were taken to reinforce Captain Marcy, so as to prevent such a catastrophe. Information of this further Mormon treason reached General Garland, then commanding the department of New Mexico, in time to send a detachment of the mounted rifies sufficient for protection. ‘These preparations necessitated a further delay on the part of Captain Marcy, otherwise he would have reached the army at Fort Bridger with his supplies after an jab: sence of about three months, having accomplished a march of more than 1,300 miles. I herewith transmit a short report prepared by Captain Marcy, at my request, which, I am sure, will be read with interest. QUARTERMASTER’S BUREAU. The operations of this bureau have necessarily been larger by far for this past year than at any previous time since the Mexican ‘war, and the — difficulties and embarragsments which surrounded it at every step were never at any time greater. it the ay ions asked of Congress at its last ses. sion, and which were granted in June, could have been procured in January, the embarrassmente of the bureau would have been altogether avoided, and the interests of the public greatly promoted. With money in hand to Purchase supplies for the Utah expedition, atleast twenty per cent could and would have been saved to the govern- ment. But beit ‘without a dollar at command of the de. partment, with large outstanding drafts upon it unpaid with no certain reliable calculation as to when they should ve paid, added to the great uncertainty as to what would | be ultimately the action of Congress relative to the move- ments upon Utah, it is easy to understand how extreme were the embarrarsments in setting on foot an expedition | of such vast magnitude and importance, to be conducted through a wilderness of twelve hundred miles, beset by savages and hostile Mormons, and interspersed with al- most impassable deserts. To await the delays attending the sppropriation was to neur certain failure of the expedition, (for, unless it tarted early in May, the march could not be made before ‘all of snow and the destruction of the grass,) to anticipate and make the movement before funds were supplied, ne cessitated the assumption of a grave responsibility. ’ But with failure on ove side and censure on the other, I felt there was no room for doubt or hesitation. It became ne- cessary, in this posture of affairs, to supply the requisite funds from private sources to answer the requirements. of the service. This I felt more bound to do after the sense of Congress relative to the Mormon rebellion had been expressed, and when it became pretty certain that money = the expedition would be voted at some Ume or other. The authority of the department to purchase sup- plies for the army by contract, to be paid at a fo ture time, under the net of May 1, 1820, was the legitimate resort in that state of things, and, al ume though I hesitated for a before exer. cising that authority, 1 foond » was no alterna. tive left bat to take measures for the supply of all the necessaries for the army, or to fail in the expedition, This wes done in a manner yet iy communicated to Congress under calls by that body upon this depart- ment; but until now @ final statement of the transactions could not be made. I refer you, particularly, to the report of the Chief of the Quartermaster's Bureau for detalied statement of all operations nected with it. They will be found interest ng and very entiv(actory. 1 take {his occasion to say, and Leannot but express my great gratification at the faet many items of which were of a decidedly better quality, Ait at cheaper rates, than have ever been pur brongh that barcau since the commencement of Je through this burr tion hae been ry voucher filed, with the exception of $25,900. ved owing to the great distance of the dishars ff ere from the seat of gover one dollar will be unaccounted for,and pot one cent misapplied. This imple fact iat that can be be stowed upon th nd worth of the offi cers of this corpe. Th the heaviest amount of any in the subject of ani ow that whilst the le through this baread, y lever in direetiag whea, how a Co s shal be made Whenever an order i given by any officer of the United States army having a rieht to give it for the pureha article of the disbursement of money, the Quarter ter must make the purchase and foot the bill, however je jodgment might lean against the expendiiure erinaster 's lepartment i¢ responsible for the # bureau expends by f faithful disbursement of money, but not for the whieh it may be applied. Hence, it will be readily perce:ved that there are no data, and can be none, by which the estimates of this bureau ean be anything more than mere approximate estimates of the probable expenditures. COMME NET'S HERAT operations of the Commissary Department have been very autis! y during the past year. The appro. priations for su being sufficient, there was money in hand to make all necessary purchases; and supplies of a better quality have been purchased, and for lower rates than at any previous time for many years. When contracts were necessarily given, they have been made on very ad. vautageous terme. The of beef for the army in , termediate poats has cost less than the ¢ prices in New York y of the Atlantic cities at ame periods. The beef delivered in Utah cost no than eight dollare and fifty cente per hundred, net; at Fort Laramie coven dotiarg and a balf per hundred, net; whilst the supply delivered at Fort Leavenworth, of the fattest and moet superior quality of corn fed beef, cost only ix dollars and twenty-five cents per hundred, net, NATIONAL. DRFRNCRS. The accompanying report of the Chief Engineer will in- form you of the progress which has been made during the © constriction of our fortificat srposes and nature of these have been fully eet forth in former communications from this department, and J therefore deem \t unnecessary to advance any rea: bn support of my recommendation that appropri may be granted for the work at Willett’s Point and Fort Reebmond Jn |'miting my recommendations to these, and a general appropriation for keeping im fepair completed works, I have been guided by the consideration that the scale on which our defences are projected is #0 great that the ex- pense of completing them should not be imposed upon the present generation, but should rather be distributed over ‘2 long term of years, eepecially as the annual borden will be comparative hier as the country increases in wealth. Resides, as national circumstances change, and in correspondence with the developement and im- provement m the appliances of warfare, our fortifica: Hone must, in order to fulfill their original design, be mori fied im regard to the eeale or the system: for example, it i# possible that the Engineer Bureau may jn future plans in- cline towards some combination of work batteries, in preference to the masonry forts of the present — For there reasons, and because our seaports are already reasonably secure against direct attack by guns afloat, T om averse to works now in band. But if we ave thus warranted in rolaxipg our soligitade with ri to the danger which engrossed the attention of the Eng: Board which forty years ago planned tha pre- | Bent tystem, we bave cause for fresh apprehension from a method of warfare from which distance and uncertainties of the sea no longer protect us. In view of the prodigious cevclopement in the marine of the first Powers of Europe, and of the increased range at which their steam navies «nabic them to exert the utmost strength of thetr land arinies, as well a8 floating forces, fam in favor of making p OVIsiOD Against descents upon our coasts of hostile co-operating with steam fleets. In proportion as our seaports increase in wealth they will nercase the inecutive Which woud inciine our mari- time rivals to resort, in case of war, to a revival upon our shores of the system: which Ly Ranenees ‘at Sebastopol, Kinburn, Odeésa, Sweborg and Bomarsund with uch de. structive efivct, Tn my last report T alluded to the militia ag the proper re- | lanes ust simnitar attemps; but much depends upon tho | maturing and providing for before hand, at each probable point of attack, of some plan of action which shall enable | them to compete on equal terms with the veteran armies of Europe. Our railroads are indeed capable of transport ing to the scene of action great bodies of men, but beyond certain limits the very numbers of raw troops become Seacreniegso, and 50,000 militia would do better ger- viee, if s0 as to 1 ate by the markmanship and | iptelhgence of the individuals, than 100,000 of the same who should attempt to outmanauvre a’ well disciplined regular army. For example, we may reasonably apprehend that New York might be the object of an expedition, which would debark a large army on Long Island; the enemy could hen march on Brooklyn, and, if victorious, could either bombard that city and New York, aud destroy the Nav Yard, or exact a heavy contribution. A line of field wor! around Brooklyn would, however, obviate such a calami ty, for it would compensate its defenders for their inferi- «rity in the habit of war; and such a line could be thrown up and armed in a few days. It must be considered, however, that the growth of the city has already overspread the positions which the origi- nai topography of the vicinity indicated as most advanta- gcous for such a line, and that at the present rate the only ones which remain available may Ee thant, when the | emergency arrives, similarly oconpied. i T therefore recommend Congress to take stops to secure | the key pointe, at least, of the really fine position in ques- | tien, by reserving a few plats of ground, to be occupied, | when the occasion requires, by redoubts. '. Similar views to the above are advanced more cla- borately in memoirs which have been submitted to this department, among others in one on the , defences of New York, which has been ad- | dressed to me by Lieutenant Morton, of the engineer corps, and which I recommend for your consi- ceration. The plan it proposes for the location and combi- nation of the defensive works around Brooklyn appears to be practical and judicious. MILITARY ROADS. ‘The military road from FortSmith to the Colorado river, by way of Albuquerque, is in progress of construction, with every promise of its being executed with promptness and skill’ ‘The work done upon that portion of it lying west of Fort Defiance last year begins already to demonstrate the benefits to the country of the appropriation and the work. Large numbers of emigrants bound for California have passed over this route during the past season, and unusually large herds of cattle have been driven that way, because of the abundance of grass and water met with upon it. For all the purposes of a military road this route possesses many very striking advantages. The line is a straight one nearly from Fort Smith to the Colorado of the West. The surface over which it passes is excellent for a road, whilst there is on glmost the entire line an abun dance of grass and water, ‘The position, being on the thirty fifth degree of north latitude, renders grazing abundant at a very early period in the spring and late in the autumn. For this reason a force might be marched over this road at a period so late or so carly that other routes northward would be im) able from frosts and snows. The altitude of the mountain range prevents that aridity in summer which charac- terizes some of the more southern routes. ‘This route derives security from the peculiarity of the conformation of the country lying to the north of it, from the western limit of the Navajo tribe to the Colorado river. ‘The corrugation of the country north of this route, by im- mense canons or chasms, renders it both uninhabitable and impessable, 80 that a perfect barrier against all possi bility of Indian attacks from the north, for a distance of several hundred miles, must exist forever. This doubt less constitutes a very great recommendation to the route as one for emigration and transportation of stock. In another point of view this route is important. Inthe construction of military posts to keep in subjection the ma. rauding bands of Camanches, Kioways and other tribes, the topography of the country preseuts points for them very near to this line of road, so that it will be protected by a hne of posts along it from the borders of the friend. ly Indian settlements to Albuquerque. With a judicious location of two other posts between that point and the Co lorado river, travelling will be as secare upon that line of road throughout its whole extent, as upon any territorial road inthe United States, I think it would be advisable to make an appropriation for still farther improving this road. ji Great improvements have been made in the roads through the Territory of Utah since the march of the army thither. A vew route bas been opeved from Fort Bridger to the present encampment of the army near Utah Lake, by what is called the Valley of the Timpanogos, which di- minishes the distance to California, in comparison with that usually travelled by Soda’ Springs, two hun- dred and fifty miles; and is shorter by one hundred and thirty miles than the present route through Salt lake. An appropriation of a moderate sum to be expended on the road west of Utah Lake, or Rush Valley towards Carson Valley, would, no doubt, be both judicious and beneficial. It would open and maveriaily improve a route which may be very essential at some time in trans- porting supplies from the Pacific side to any troops sta toned in Utab, RXVLORATIONS AND SURVEYS. Every seagon is developing the great advantages to the public Which enure from appropriations mate for military explorations and surveys. The large and almost wholly unknown region of country lying between our Atlantic and Pacific frontiers is becoming every day more fami liarly understood, by means of information gained through these explorations and surveys. Some important expe- ditions have been consummated since my last report. Im ortant additions to our geographical knowledge have made by these surveys, and extensive nfor- mation upon “many scientific su! have been procured at the same time, The public interests are much promoted by this expenditure. I ask special attention to the report of the officer in charge of the office of exploration and surveys. It embraces the results of the expeditions heretofore fitted out to examine the hitherto unknown regions of the Colorado of the West, as weil as the Black Hills lying west of the Nebraska Terri tory. Important and very valuable information has been furnished by both expeditions. That of Lieutenant Ives, among other things of great interest, exhibits one of the most remarkable topographical phenomena ever met with. He discovers that the waters of the Coloralo river, in all their various ramifications of brooks, creeks and rivers, make Weir way to the main stream through canons or clefts in the sobd rock at a depth of from one thousand feet, where the canons first commence, to that of six thovsand, towards the head waters of the streams below the surface of the earth. These canoas present, jor the most part, perpendicular faces © solig rock, and sve to the wi country an aspect of wilt desolation, without a parallel or an approximation on the American conbnent, reports will constitute a valuable add) tien to science, and will be found very interesting. A very large and I think important pertion of our ter ritory, lying north and west of the Black Hills, towards the sources of the Missouri and its tributaries coming in it e south side of it, 8 almaet wholly unknown, ought to be thoroughly explored. Ihave but little h tation in eaying that & most important line of intercommu nication between the Mississippi valley and the river Ore gon will yet be opeved, and probably, at no distant day cither throngh the country spoken of or a little further north, upen a line extending from Lake Superior along upon the waters of the upper Missour! to those of the Ore ger At y. whieh t © stron ail events, we need much f bet mation about this ploration ean give between the navy tin grown he Missouri and those of the river Oregon | wre than fowr hundred miles intervenes. | out to be troe, and the ground should | for the cd entuaily one ot ‘| between the Atlant oses, Otber region struction of a road, thie route e most important yet discov and Pacite for military interest and importance, of which We kLOW bext to nothing, require to be explored. Tin re is a large atnoupt of important scientific informa hon io the burewut of this department which could be | teade Valuab’e to the general interest were of the country if it | It ought to be ie am of money could be rr 80 many valuable benefits mount uecereary for the prepa. ublie ne expended wh pon the country as the ation of such a’ map ‘The extensive deposits of precions metals throughout aur ust dominion, in search for which such immenee some re annuaily ‘expended, would be accurately marked whilst the great articles of ational wealth and Deompe ty—iren, coal and sait—would be go clearly defined that ver be thrown away in fruitless seareh localities where they do notexist. Such a direct wisely the expenditures of money and rbor, and would restrain loeses likely to arise from igno rance or wilful misrepresentation, CAMEL The entire adaptation of camels to military operations vpen the plaine may now be taken as demonstrates, whilst their great usefulnes® and superiority in many par tculars is equally certain. A very heavy expense if necessarily incurred every year by the Quartermaster’s Department in furnishing iransportation for troops whilst engaged in expeditions egainst the roving tribes of the plains. In all these movements camels could be used, ne doubt, to very great ivantage. In the space of three days a well appointed command could set out and traverse space of one hun. | dred and fifty miles without difficulty or much fatigue, | ond fall upon any Indian tribe perfectly unawares. y | 1d be able to carry all necessary supplies for the cam: pain, and traverse the arid plains without any inconve- hience from want of water. The superiority of the carne! over the horse would soon become so manifest for all movementa upon the plains and deserts, that hostile In dians in these regions would soon come to understand the hopelessness of eacape by flight and the folly of maraud ing where chastisement was certain. camel lives and thrives upon what would not sus tain the hardiest mule, and consequently the item of fo rage, one now of enormous cost, would be almost saved, if the supply of camels was «uflicient to answer the de mands and requirements of our frontier service. Tt could not fail to be a measure of wise economy if Congress would authorize the purchase of a thousand camels for the purpose spoken of. This could be done at comparatively email cost, if a suitable vessel of the navy was detailed to transport them. As this subject is attracting moch attention, I take the Nberty of transmitting, herewith, a brief treatise on the camel, written with great care, and describing with minutenes® the mode of raising, training, and treatment of them. It is the work of W. Re Kyan Hey, of Cairo, and was prepared at the instance of our active and efficient Consn! General of Egypt, who has inte- rested himself upon this subject, and has furnished mach valuable information concerning these animals. The pub- Hieation of this little manual will, no doubt, confer a de- cided benefit pom those who are turning their attention to this new and important branch of hue! th ASYLUM AT HARRODSHURG, KENTUCKY? RROOMMENDED FOR A CAVALRY. DRPOT. Thi property cannot be sold except at a ruinous sacri fice, but it can be converted into an establishment of use. fuluess, indeed of the greatest posible importance to the service. ‘of the greatest evils entailed ayaa discs pline and the efficiency of our when edlled on for active duty in the field, arises from the large number of entirely raw recruits continually sent forward to fill up the ranks. These men, for the most part, have no earthly idiga of the duties they will be called oe to perform, or of th discipline they will be required to undergo. And whom to the arduous diities of a frontier campaign they are sub- jected to the discipline of drill and the routine of a soldier's life, they fiud it more than ordinary exertion will avom- plish, and, consequently, they desert. If they were thoroughly’ drilled beiore joining their regiments, the discipline itself would fit them to overcome those very difficulties with comparative ease, which, without #, causes them to desert. Under our present system, a dragoon recruit may be sent to his regiment, immediately marching against the Indians of the plains, whilst bis skill in riding is not sufll- cient to sit a horse at an ordinary trot without extreme difficulty, The arms about the person of such a man are as useless as if they were safely stored away in one of the Atlantic arsenals. The man’s condition is one of torture to himself and his horse; bis horse is speedily brokem down, and he himself deserts. Examples of this sort are extremely numerous and of perpetual occurrence, ‘These avd a great many other evils resulti: ing untrained men to the mounted ed by authorizing the public property at Harrodsburg, Ken- tucky, to be converted into a cavalry depot and school for the mounted service. It will entaii uo additional expensa. ‘The houses are suiliciont now for every purpose, and the ‘stables are aimpie for such horses as would be uecessary tor drill and alt other purposes, The grounds attached to the establishment, I believe, are admirably adapted to caval- ry drill, being extensiy id Well situated. It this measure is sanctioned, it will not only fill the re giments with men skilful aud efficient in the management of their horses and the use of their arms, but it will be a measure of economy, and prove a great saying in money to the public service, Harrodsburg has striking advantages besides those enu- merated, It is situated im a rich, heaithy, grain produe- ing country, where forage can always be purchased in abundance and at fair prices; and the horses of that ro- gion are of the very best sort.’ It is very accessible and | sufficiently near the frontiers of the West for the recruits to reach speedily, by railroads and steamboats. auy of the posts at which the mounted regiments would probably. be stationed. The frontier service requires that every posaible means should be resorted to to make our little army thoroughly cilicient, and no measure, I am confident, ‘would contei- bute more to it than the one now proposed. SCHOOL OF ARTILLERY, The Artillery School of Practice at Fort Monroe, so Jong an object “desired amongst the mititary men of’ the country, has been established, and bids fair to realize all the benefits to the service which its friends anticipated. It will give to the service, presently, « corps of officers and men certainly equal to these of any other service im the world. The officers, under whose charge it is at pro- sent, are thoroughly competent and fully imbued with am anxious desire for complete success in the school. ‘There is a small tract of land in the vicinity of the fort which ought to be purchase’ for the purpose of giving a suflicient range for practice with heavy guas. With this land @ large saving could be made, by the recovery of balls used in practice in the course of time. The range without this land is matequate to the wants of the service aud the mterests of the school. The reports upon this point, to which [ refer, Will give in detail the particulars upon which this recommendation is predicated. INSPECTOR GENERAL, ‘The duties of Inspector Gencrai are among the most use- fui and important of any pertaining to the service. Through these officers all abuses and defects of the service are ascertained aud made known to the department, aad from him that sort of information is derived waich would, in fact, be impract: le through any other source. Our immeugely extended Territories render this sort of inspection of our numerous tilitary posts and depots a matter of vital importance, and it is quite impossible that those duties can be properly performed without the addi- tion of another Inspector General to the two already aw- thorized by law. I therefore recommend that the appoint- ment of an additional Inspector Geueral Ue authorized by We STA¥Y. Tcall again your special attention to the recommenda tions | submitted in my report last year upon the subject of the staff. Another year’s experience has conviuced me more than ever of the great bevellis which would flow from the adoption of the suggestions and recommenda- tions therein set forth. ENGINEERS, There are two corps of engineers attached to the army, designated as Engineers aud Topographical Engineer This division of corps was accidentsl somewhat at firi and bas been persisted in from mere habit. In my judg! ‘ment it is useless and uncalled for, and ought at once to ve abolished. ‘The present arrangement is founded in no good reason whatever, and is productive of no benefit to the service, whilst it entails a considerable expense upon the depart: ment, altogether useless aud unnecessary. It is derogat- ing nothing from the corps of engineers to. sa that the Topographical corps is quite their equal. By this proposed union of the corps, it would always furnish a sufficient’ number of _ this staff to accompany troops in the field. This, in turn, would tend to the ‘reformation of what is crowing into use—the absence of so many stat! officers from all ser- vice with troops in the field. Nothing, in my judgment, would result in greater bene- fit to the service to require all staff officers, from the heads of bureaus down to the youngest brevet second lieutenant, to serve periodically with the troops in the field. Any officer who remains for many years absent from duty in the field, comes to have very ‘faint percep- tions of what is useful and n for troops in actual service in the field. He can only know what is needful ‘brough information derived frum others. then, that those best informed should be the ones o1 trusted with the staff duties, wii two MAb Cmte, rever two regiments are brought ther ® brigade, a General of Brigade should a ‘come mission t0 comimand it, our whole army were now organized for the fleld, we should need nine generals of brigade; and in the necessary ar of peace, the command on the frontiers and in the military depart- ments. These brigade commands, therefore, in our army are generally devolved on the senior regimental officer, who is thereby withdrawn from the proper duties of bis own appointment and PS een Batas regimental! off cers are pot by right of jority, to be commissioned enerais, neither ought they, by such rule, to exercise the ‘nctions of generals. In all armies generals are selected for commands by government. sufficient number should always be in commission for that purpose not at- tached by law or their commissions to specified com mands, a8 regimental officers are. The assignment of et officers to brevet commands does not always serve the purpose, and where it does, it is only by conferring two commissions and two offices on one citicer, who can only discharge tbe duties of one; the expense to govern meut is the same whother the officer exercises command by 8 brevet of by 4 proper commission. There isa great need of three additional brigadier genera!s to those now in commission, and | recommend their appointment. ° grounds fore ex! the ac- commodations of ihe Washi Arsenal have been de- livered to the goverument are enclosed with a slight temporary fence. Suitable buildings for more extensive operations at thie place ought to be erected, and it is pro- F thot the plane should be at oace adopted, which could gradually completed in the progress of time. Some of the workshops now in use there were erected upon ground reclaimed from the water, and are very unsubstantial. The walls are giving way and the roofs are sustained in laces with props. These buildings are insccure and will become dangerous. CLAIMS OF VOLENTS 1 call your particular attention to the viding, by law, for payment of claims Mit against the government by dillerent States tories, fur ser. vices heretofore rendered by volunteer forces’ in sup. pressing Indian hostilities, These claims are numerou and amount, im the aggregate, to a very large sui Where they are just, every principle of equity and fai ness requires their payment. If any Id prove, upon strict examination, to be without fe tion, to pronounce thie judgment promptly, and settle the question definite. jy, would bring relief to those presenting the claims, and to this it would seem they are at least entitled, EXPENDITUTS OF THR Alay. 1 desire to call particular attention to the subject of army expenditares. [think there is some misapprehen sion in the public mind upon this point, which can be re- moved by a succinct statement of facts. e reement of money through the War Depart ment embraces many subjects eutirely disconnected with the army proper, but all of which is in general apprehen- sion aver/bed wholly to the army. All work done upon fortifications along the sea cons ich many millions t, has i fact no more to do with the operations of the army than the ships-of-war which are built at the censity of pro navy yards, or has the army, as such, any thing to do with the expenditures of money annually vated for rivers and harbors; so too ot the buildings works of A public character put in charge of army officers for con struction. It is certainly not just to charge to the army the millions «pent upon the aqueduct for bringing water into the city of Washington, when im all probability not one platoon of soldiers wilt ever, in the course of any one year, be solaced with a drink of water from those capa- cions fountains. The fair and legitimate expenses of the army are em- braced within comparatively a few items. The of the officers and men is regulated by law; not one dollar more or less can be expended vipon that object. 80 too with their rations and clothing. Nothing would be easier, and nothing in the future would be more certain, than to esti- mate exactly what would be the cost to the country of maintaining our whole army, or any Pape of it, at any fixed and permanent post fora year. But when the move: mente of t depend upon the uncertain temper and «disposition of savages upon afrontier line of more than four thousand miles in extent, some latitude must be ab lowed in calculating the probable cost of making suc movements as those precarious contingencies may necess. tute. ‘The season of the year and the locality where the marches are to take place enter materially into the com putation of expenses, all of which is too obvious to require any illustration. So mueh for the general proposition about army expenditures. I have attempted as far as possible to meet your just wishes in reduc ing the expenditures of the army, und the estimates ‘of the next fiseal year are less than the appropriations of the Inst by the #uin of $9,100,488 32. They are leas than the eatimates laid before you at the last session of Con gress, by the sum Of $3,725,408 55. They amount, in the agy ite, to $18,010,090 28, and I entertain a strong hope that the expenditures may be still further reduced in the course of another year. Tt affords me pleasure to say that notwithstanding the Indian wars in aahington, New Mexico aad Texes—all w were unforeseen an xpected—still, unless there hall be farther and for expendi tures in sy those alr iy, ,incurred in, Washington Territory, New Mexico, and Texag, there will be no necessity for asking tions in the shape of a deficiency bill have the honor to be, vory respectfully, your obedient servant, JOHN B. FLOYD. Tar Pretest oF THe Usrren Stare. larger demands expend ‘essing other Indian hostilities, additional to Canat Convention. The forwarders, shippers, and others. int in the completion of the canals of this State, hold a convention at Syracuse, on the 28th inst. , for the purpose of taking such action as may be neceasary: to advauce the great interests which they will represent.