The New York Herald Newspaper, December 2, 1862, Page 4

NEW YORK HERALD. ~ 7 JAMES GORDON BENABTT, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR. OFFIOEN. W, CORNER OF PULTON au KASSAUSTS, im advance. Boney mail will be at the Ma ihe Sander” “Menabed Bend’ bills torvest tn New York IL¥ HERALD. two centeper copy $7 per annum ‘BEKLY paces, mann, he Revoeas of Cont: i Fa TS hg tee tment fe FAMILY HERALD, on Weanssday, at four cents per x ‘anner LNs cd CORRESPONDENCE, containing important solicited from any Dos Fe of the world; if used, will Merally putt ‘or pgrOuR Foreiax Conunsronpenrs 4i PaxrroucaR.y Reqvested TO Skat att Lerteas anv Pa: santo z ra NGTICE taken of anonymous correspondence, We do not return rejected communvertions i ADVERYISEMENTS renewed every 1; advertise: tne aeited tm the Heratp, Fancy Henan, ond in the COR PRINTING accrued with neatnese, heapness and der rt of tn NIBLO'S GARDEN, Broadway.—Caxture, WALLACK’S THEATRE, Broadway—Love 4xD Mongy. WINTER GARDEN. Broaaway.—Irsianp 48 It Was— Ip axp Our or /sce—Harry Mas, a LAURA KEENB'S THEATRE, Broadway.—Bioxprtts. NSW BOWERY THEATRE. Bowery.—Soouncs or Da- masous—KatoR cs OF THY Mist—Santer Jars, BOWBRY THEATRE, Bowery.—Rora—Asraopr1—Bot tux Tur e BARNUM'S AMERICAN MUSEUM, Broadway.—Dries- nack’s ['PRFOR 19 BEARS—GIANT UiRL, &C,. &t ali hours, Deama, lex Queen's Vow, at 3 and 74y o'clock P.M. BRYANTS' MINSTRELS’ Mechanics’ Hall 472 Broad- Way.—ETHI0PIAN SONGS, BURLESQUES, Dances, &0.—HaND- A10%k BROTHERS WOOD'S MINSTREL HALL, 514 Broadway. —Erarorian Songs, Dances, &6.—Feat Foor Jaxx, PALAOE OF MUSIO, Fourtventh street.—Campsety's Minstxxis—Sonos, DaNxoxs anv Burtusgves, a™ HALL, Irving place.—Trnusa CangeNo’s Cox- ‘ MUSIC HALL, No, 444 Broadway.—Soxas, DANCRS, &C. GAIETIES CONCERT HALL, 616 Broadway.—Deawixa iM ENTERTAINMENTS, AMFRIC. Bux: esqves, PARISIAN CABINET OF WONDERS. Broadway. — ew daily rom 10a. M, till 10 2. Mt es HOOLEY’S OPERA HOUSE, Brooklyn.—Era1ortax Bowes, Dances, BuRLESQUES &c LIBRARY HALL, Newark, Caristy’s Mrxstrets, New York, Tucsday, December 2, 1862, THE SITUATION. The reports from the headquarters of General Burnside indicate no movement of importance as having transpired yesterday. Skirmishes and re- connoissances are, of course, of daily occurrence. ‘That of General Stahl, from General Sigel’s corps in the direction of Snicker’s Ferry, is but one ex: ample of the activity of our troops—y the cnlarly ous of The information which he obtained re- avalry arin of the service—in exped nd. i » the p por! ion of the enemy was all im- ant, while the valor displayed by his troops was worthy of every commendation. The President's Message to Congress, which we give to-day, is not perhaps as explicit upon the subject of the war, its issnes and its prospects, as the put tails of ow probably expected. Upon all the de- national troubles which are involved in the war question, however, the Message is elaborate, sometimes forcible, and throughout consistent with the previously oxpressed views of the Presidtcont on the matter of slavery and emancipation, We have had a fight in the Southwest. The Wels experienced a severe defeat at Cone Hill, Priansas, as we learn from the official despatches @ General Curtis, dated from St. Louls and ‘Poringfield, Missouri, on the 20th. That Gencral | Blunt, with five thousand Union troops, attacked and routed eight thousand rebels under Gencral Marmaduke on the 20th instant. Sixty rebels were killed in the engagement, and the balance were driven some twelve miles. General Blunt telegraphs that the rebels will not probably ven- ture north of the Boston Mountains again this winter; and as they have consumed all the sub- sistence in the valley of the Arkansas they must S00n retreat into Texas, The Hibernian, off Cape Race, forwards news from Europe to the 2Ist ult., five days later. Notices posted at Lloyd's, London, report a | rumor that another Anglo-rebel steamer had left Liverpool to prey on the commerce of the Uuited States on the ocean, and thet a third one (in- cluding the Alabama) was about to follow soon. A report to the effect that Secretary Seward had addressed the British government in a tone of displeasure, on the subject of aid alleged to have been given to the Alabama, caused some uncasi* ess on the London Stock Exchange. The London Times says that Mr. Seward may have taken that position, in the “desperate hope” of finding a cause of ‘external quarrel at any cost, in order to avert impending events at home." The London Times ridicules the political tilt be- tween Cassius M. Clay and George F. Train, at the Academy of Music, in its usual style. CONGRESS. The second session of the Thirty-seventh Con- Gress was opened at noon yesterday. Prayers were delivered by the Chaplains of both houses. After the usual preliminaries, the President's Message was received and read. The document is Printed in to-day's paper, together with an ab- Stract of the Postmaster General's report and the report of the General Land Office. In the Senate Messrs. Richard T. Fields, Benja- min F. Harding and Samuel Green Arnold, new “Benators respectively from New Jersey, Oregon and Rhode Island, were qualified, and took their seats. Twelve o'clock was fixed upon as the hour of daily meeting, an@ the Senate adjourned. In the House the Naval Committee were inetrac- ted to inquire and report a to thagheapest, most expeditious and reliable mode of placing vessels of war on Lake Ontario, and establisiing water communication with the other lakes, with a view to the protection of the Northern frontier in cases ‘of emergency. Mr. Vallandigham, of @hio, offered ® resolution, which was adopted, instructing the Jndiciary Committee to inquire and report by what authority of the constitution or the laws, if @ny, the Postmaster General undertakes to decide What newspapers may and what may not be trans- {mitted through the mails. Mr. Cox, of Ohio, of fered a preamble and resolution setting forth the fect of the illegal arrest and confinement of per- in military prisons and camps, and declaring ‘the House of Representatives do hereby all such arrests and practices as unwar- by the constitution andlaws of the United a8 a usurpation of power never given up by he peonle to their rulers, aod do hereby demand that all such arrests ehall hereafter cease, and that | , an peceens-<s- srrosted and yet held shall have ® prompt and public trial according to the provi- sions of the constitution and the laws of the United States.” On motion of Mr. Colfax, of Indiana, this was laid on the table by a vote of eighty against forty. Mr. Richardson, of Ulinois, offered & resolution requesting the President to inform the House what citizens of Mlinois are now in con- finement as State prisoners, what charges are against them, by whom the charges are made, and by whose order such arrests were made. Mr. Lovejoy moved to lay the resolution on the table, and the motion was adopted by a vote of | seventy-four against forty. Notice was given of a bill to increase the revenue by a reduction of the tox on whiskey to five cents per gallon. The Pre- sident’s Message and the, accompanying documents were referred to the Committee of the Whole, and ordered to be printed. The House then adjourned, MISCELLANEOUS NEWS. The steamship Hibernian, from Londenderry on the 21st of November, passed Cape Race last Sa- turday evening on her voyage to Portland. Her news is five days later than the advices of the Af. rica, and a telegraphic report of its main points, from our agent at St. Johns, Newfoundland, is published in the Heraxp this morning. Consols closed in London on the 21st of Novem- ber at 9314 for money. American securities were steady. The bullion in the Bank of England de- creased to the amount of $1,125,000 in the week ending November 21, The Liverpool cotton market was dull during threo days, with nominal quotations. It closed witha Detter feeling on the: 20th of November; buton the 21st ultimo it was found that the rates had de clined from one penny to two pence during the week, The sales of the 2ist ultimo were made at irregular prices. Breadstufls were steady and provisions inactive at the latest date. The British steam frigate Ariadne, Commander Van Satterlat, three days from Halifax, arrived at this port yesterday. She mounts twenty-six guns, is a propeller of 3,800 tons, 800 horse power, and has a crew of 510 men. The charter election, for the election of Comp- troller, Corporation Counsel, Aldermen, Council- men and school officers, takes place to-day, and a full list of all the candidates who expect to be voted for will be found in another column. The polls will open at six minntes after seven o'clock inthe morning, and close at thirty-four minutes after four o'clock in the afternoon. All business in the covrts and public offices will be suspended during the voting. In the Court of General Sessions yeaterday, Recorder Hoffman discharged the Grand Jurors for a fortnight, one panel being then i on in the Court of Oyer and Terminer, Thomas } pleaded guilty to an indictment of petit Joln Robinson was tried and convicted of burgla- ry inthe third degree, ins ng from the store No. 81 Warren street, in August last, a quantity of sewing silk, valued at six or seven thousand dollars, Isaac Spingle was convicted of grand larceny, in picking the pocket of Dr. Davis, of npoint, on the 10th of September last, of a gold watch and chain valued at seventy-five dol. lars. All the prisoners were remanded for sen. tence, and the Court adjourned until Thursday next, the 4th inst. The rebel Congress will not convene, unless call. ed together by Jeff Davis, until the 12th of Janu- ary. Tt adjourned on the 13th of October. Judge Usher, who was sent out to Minnesota, as* has been supposed with power to frec the Sioux Indi: that he has no such authority. was in the Cabinet meeting when General Pope's despatch soliciting the sanction of the govern- ment to hang three hundred of these Indians was yaid before the President;.that there was no discus- sion about it, while both the President and Secrota- ry Stanton expressly agreed that hanging wes the remedy, and sent a despatch ordering General Pope to forward the names of the condemned parties. The New York canals are yet free from ice and open to navigation. The City Inspector's report states that there were 352 deaths in the city during the past weck— an increase of 39 as co red with the mortality of the week previous, aud 20 more than occnrred during the corresponding week lest year. The re- tion table gives 2 deaths of alcoholism, 2 of diseases of the bones, joints, & 8 of the brain and nerves, 4 of the generative organs, 7 of the heart and blood vessels, 153 of the lungs, throat, & f old age, 19 of dis fevers, 8 premature births, 51 of diceasca of the stomach, bowels and other digestive orgar uncertain seat and general fevers, 1 of discase NEW YORK HERALD, is who have been condemned to death, states | He says that he | ses of the skin and eruptive | TU. ‘Whe President's ie she Country—The Elavery Question: ‘The second regular annual Message of P resi- dent Lincoln to the two houses of Congress is be- fore our readers. Embracing the official history of the most eventful, the most momentous and the most critical period of twelve months in the an” nals of the United States, and comprehending a variety of legislative recommendations calcu- lated to meet the publio necessities resulting from this stupendous domestio war, and looking to the paramount object of the restoration of the Union, the surpassing interest and import ance of this Message will be universally recog- nized? And yet, upon its first appearance herer there appeared to be no public curiosity or in terest in it, but a prevailing anxiety to hear the latest news from the army of General Burn- side, before which even the President’s Message became a secondary question. This Message is a very remarkable docu- ment. It is marked throughout by the cha. racteristic simplicity of style and honest and earnest patriotism which distinguish all the official productions of its author. If his views are presonted ofien in the shape of rough diamonds, they are none the less dia” monds because of their roughness. The great question to be considered is, how far does this Message meet the exigencies of the day, the de- mans of the country and its hopes of a restora- tion of the Union through the measures of this administration? Tn the outset we are assured that if “the con- dition of onr relations with other nationsis less gratifying than it has usually been at former periods, it is certainly more satisfactory than a nation so unbappily distracted as we are might reasonably have apprehended.” This is a gratifying fact; and, from the conciliatory and magnanimous foreign policy indicated by the President in every instance of complaint of wrongs committed in the progress of this war against the flag or subjects of a foreign Power: we derive the conviction that every just canse of offence will continue to be avoided. Thus far, then, we are secured against European intervention. Upon the all-important subject of the nation- al finanoés, the most prominent feature of the Message is the proposition for “the organiza- tion of banking associations under a general act of Congress.” to be furnished by the government with “circulating notes on the security of United States bonds deposited in the Treasury.” In other words, Mr. Lincoln prom pozes the adoption by the federal government of the New York banking system, which expe- rience has proved to be an excellent one ; and his argument in support of it is entitled to the practical consideration of Congress. Mean- time the condition of the Treasury is better, and its expenditures for the las! fiscal year were much less, than has been generally conjectured. | There has “ been a decided improvement in the financial condition of the Post Office Depart- ment, compared with several preceding years,” and the explanations of this improvement are exceedingly interesting. The record of the operations of the war is left | by the Moseage with the heads of the War and Navy Departments, and to their reports we would refer the French government for infor- mation which it appears to need ; for, ite late correspondence with England proposing mediation, this war is represented to be. in about the same condition that it wasa year ago But the slavery question is the great topic o/ the Message. Mr. Lincoln appears to have ra. zeed all other subjects to the smallest possible dimensions, in order to have “ample scope ond verge enough” for his elaborate argument in support of the new compromise which he pro. poser for the slavery question. He puts it in | the shape of a motion for an amendment of the federal constitution, providing for the exti tion of slavery by the year 1900 within the limits of the Union, and by the slave States themselves, respectively, their slaves emanci- | pated in the interval to the year 1900 to be paid | for by the federal government. Mr. Lincoln's views upon this subject cannot fail to convince the reader that he is actuated by the most pa- | | triotic, humane, just and generous considera- } recommends the government to recog! KSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1862 - 4 fairs. We have received, but have ot space to publish in full, the very intercating report of Commissioner William P. Dole to the Secretary of the Interior upon Indian Affairs. The report, with its accompanying documents, treats of the present condition of most of the Indian ma- tions and tribes within our borders, their wants and prospects, and their advancements in civi- lization, as well as the operations of the va_ rious superintendents and agents of the govern. ment located among them. Commissioner Dole says that the policy re- cently adopted of confining the Indiaus to reser- vations, and from time to time allotting pnblic lands to them, is the best method yet devised for reclaiming them to oivilization. The chief difficulties which attend this plan arise from the contact of the white and red races. Where the Indian reservations are gurrounded by white settlements, the ved men are rogarded as in- truders, subjected to insults and annoyances, and exposed to the grasping cupidity of thelr white neighbors, who seem to forget that the in- trusion {s all on their owa side. Compelied to abandon all their former modes of gaining a livelihood, adopting pursuits with which they are totally unacquainted, brought inte compe- tition with their superiors in education and in- telligence, amenable to local and federal Laws which to them are almost unintelligible, obliged to submit to long and cruel delays if they are wronged, swiftly aud severely punished if they commit crimes—many of the Indians cannot be induced to see any hope in the future, or to abandon their vicious and idle habits. That a large number of them are acquiring the habits and the ‘arts ‘of civilization is no less gratifying than wonderful. Greater unanimity between the federal government and tie governments of those States within which In- dians are located, and a more generous State legislation, by which the disabilities under which the Indians now labor may be gradually removed and the free rights of citizenship conferred, are suggested as strong incentives to improvement noi likely to fail of beneficial effects. Commissioner Dole thinks the condition of the California Indians one of peculiar hardship. vious to the white immigration the Indians rnia were free, contented and happy, nature supplying all thgir wants with her pro- fuse abundanee. When began the whole State was soon overrun, and the Indians were dispossesed of their homes, their hunting grounds and their fisheries, and were atonce reduced to the most abject depen- dence. Now they have no ineans of subsist- ence, no treaty with ov recognized claim upon the United Staies govern: ; no place to which to migrateSaad are forced to become vagabonds, to steal or to starve. Upon dis- honest and dishonorable pr the w invade even the.scanty reservations set apart for the use of these ygor people, and there is literally no place in California where the Indian can live in safely and secu y for this state of oMairs nmissionuer 1 Indians’ usufructuary righ treat with them for the right, and the establish: in our management of the Indians in Catifornia as in other States and in the Te In regard to the Indians of te Southern super- intendency, Commissioner Dole states that the rebelli off almost all dommuy ion with thi of bis charge. [t was a lieved, and bas recently been demonstra however, that a strong Union sentiment e among these Southern Indians. In no part of the country have greater anfferings and p tions by endured and greater sacri made for loyaliy’s deavored luce these Indians from thei legiance. and, as the Indian agents first appoint ed by the present administration soon turned traitors, the effort was partially snecessful- Every means was resorted to and all sorts of ext want stories told to mislead these In, dians: and the withdrawal of our trod nd the interruption of communication gave pla ity the soil, and shment of this same aystent v8 be- “dl sake. ’ wre wild, barbarous: — The ‘Nava. tog phere this | of tho men who over ogcunitd a and gual men." bad character. These two tttbee _°".,‘D® | Jae position fn the government, But what the Be a seourges of New Mexico. Commissioner n° Fecommends that these maranders should > immediately restrained and punished. %."° Oregon Indians are peaceful and improving; but new treaties should be made with them without delay. ~ In the Central Superintendenoy the Sioux and Pawnees have had a hostile encounter during-the year just passed; but with this ex- ception all the tribes have been at peace, Their loyalty is undoubted. Out of two hundred and one able bodied Delawares one hund, and seventy have volunteered for militify service. The Pottowattomies and Delawares are especially advanced in civiliza- tion. Lands have recently been allotted to the Saca, Foxes and Kaws, and allotmonts will 600n be made to such memers of the Potiowat- tomies and Ottawas as may desire them. This step—-the individual owaership of land-—~Com- missionor Dole regards as great progress to- civilization. Inu order to get rid of the pernicious influences of vicious whites, Mr. Dole suggests that the various tribes be removed to the Indian country south of Kansas. Those In- digns who object to this plan should be allowed to remain on their present treeholds, however The recent Sioux outrages in Minnesola are ad- verted to; but Commissioner Dole cannot accu- yitely indicate the causes of these outbreaks, He thinks, however, that the deduction from their annuities of the damages imposed upon the Indians for depredations upon white settlers has hada great deal to do with the trouble. Mr. Dole objects to several portions of the form of a treaty negotiated with the Indtuns by the Governor of Minnesota, and protests against the gross wrong and impolicy of executing the con- demued Indians by wholesale, on the ground that, although the Indians have behaved atro- ciously and the white settlers are justly in- censed, still indiscriminate punishment will re- sult disastrously, and partakes more of the character of revenge than of justice. He re- commends that-a line of forts be erected along the Red river of the North, and that the Chip- pewas of the North be sent thither. He is not in favor of expelling the Winnebagos from Min" nesota because a few of their bra aided the 08 Sioux; but he thinks that they might be readily removed to the Northwest. At the lose of his terse and well written report Commissioner Dole urges Congress to make appropriations to recompense the white settlers for the depreda- tio umitied by the Indians; and this sug- gesti as well as several others already named, we most willingly en The Report of the Navy Department. The report of Secretary Welles, presented yesterday to Congress, is a State paper highly crediiable to the American people, but reflects little credit apon the Secretary himeelf. From his own showing the nation is everything and ling-——a mere cipher, an old fogy, in- it to direct the magnificent forces his hands by the spontaneous enthue country. 1 squadrons have been called e. suficient to guard the ’entire weep of our Atlantic and Gulf coast, from onth of the Chesapeake to the mouth Rio Grande. The West India in the poss om of the . Bri government give peculiar facilities to Kuglish vessels to run the blockade; and yet such is the risk that it has become & losing con- cern, and at least one speculator in England has been broken by it. But with such a force under his direction the Secretary of the Navy ht not to allow a single breach of the block- snd ha ought to have swept the Southern vateers from the ocean. The Nashville, the vitor. the Alabama and other vessels in the sbel service have committed tremendous de- | predations on American commerce, notwith” ing the enormous naval force at the dis- retary of ihe Navy. Orleans. Memphis, Galveston, , Forts Pulaski, Macon, Jackson, St p, Henry. Donelson and Pillow have been c. Jslonds tish of the urinary organs, 13 from violent canses, and tions; but we fear that the abolition radicals of 2unknown. There were 225 natives of the United | Congress will treat bis proposition and his States, 12 of England, 89 of Ireland, 1 of Scot- | pleadings with indifference, if not with scorn to the secession in The divided into loyalists and secessi latter party assuming the « ans soon and, the captured; but thesa victories, though brilliant « have not been decisive. The de- ats of the war Secre Welles has and glori clsive y land, 20 of Germany, and the balance of various foreign countries. The number of vessels entered at this port from foreign ports during the month of November was four hundred and sixteen, and the number of ves- sels cleared for foreign ports was three hundred and eighty-six. Stocks opened heavily yesterday morning: but at mid. day rumors respecting the action of Mr. Chase with re- | gard to the currency led toa sudden advance, and the | sbares rose 1 @ 2 percent. Sold loading speculagiro opened at 128%, rose to 131%, and then fell back closing at 180% a 13024, Exchange opened at 141% a | 142, and rose to 144, all upon the theorr that more papor money is to be issued, Money was in fair eupply ot six percent. The bank statement shows a decrease iu the loans equal to $3,627,103; a decrease of $161,130 in spp- cle, and an increase of deposits equa! to $1,715,052, Cotton advanced yesterday to 67c.a lings, with sales cf 800 bales. Flour was heavy, and in some few instances a trifle lower, apd wheat was also de- pressed. Corn improved slightly. Osts were in lively demand, as was algo barley malt, the Intter mainly to ar- Tive. and in lard at slightly reduced figures; while beef, hemp hops, metals, rice, groceries, woot and whalebone werd quiet. Tobageo was in fair dewand, as werd alno hays fieh, fish oils, hides and teather, The freight engage- ments were quite light, with the market rates in favor of exporters. * Tar Coxtest ror Comprronter axp Corrora- tion Counskt. Once Mone.—The people are tode- cide at the ballot box to-day who are to have the management of the finances of the city and eoun- ty for tbe next four years, and the legal business of the city for the next three years. Both of these offices are positions of great importance to the future prosperity and welfare of the city. For the former office the race is confined to Robert T. Hews, the present efficient incumbent, and Matthew T. Brennan, a police justice. The friends of both are doing their best to secure the election of their favorite; but the divisions and wrangles of the factions in the republican party, and the secret support that the radical journals are giving to Brennan, have increased the confidence of the democracy in their success: and correspondingly diminished that of the re. publicans. Notwithstanding the efficiency of Laws ai a finance officer, and the efforts of some of our wealthy men in his behalf, there is every prospect that Brennan will come out ofthe race far ahead. i Numerous tricks have been resorted to for the purpose of cutting down the enormous ma- jority that Jobn E. Develin will secure for Cor poration Counsel; but the race for this office is 80 one-sided an affair that there is no possible chance fer the originators of these tricks to ae- complish anything. Develin, iu fact, is just as safe as though he bad his certificate of election in his pocket. There was more activity in pork, at steady rates, | | and contempt. That they should be told by Abraham Lincoln to wait for thirty- seven years for the abolition of Southern | slavery, and be told this upon the heels of his emancipation proclamation, is certainly very wonderful. But, then, he says that this new scheme of emancipation “is recom- mended, not out that a restoration of the na_ tional authority would be accepted withous its adoption, nor will the war or proceedings’ under the emancipation proclamation “be stayed because of the recommendation of this plan;” but still Mr. Lincoln pleads for this “plan” as ifit were the only salvation for the Union. Our plan would be to settle first with the armed forces of this rebellion, and then, with the restoration of the rebellious States to the Union, leave to them, each State for itself, the | settlement of the slavery question. We should, | however. not be without hope of the success of the President's plan if the party in Congress identified with his administration could be lifted up to his platform of patriotism. As it is, our only hope isin a vigorous prosecution of the war now, while we have the superior power in the tield, and the inferior forces of the enemy within striking distance. Upon this sub- tect the Message is somewhat cloudy; but, if its numerous practical recommendations shall | be adopted by Congress, we doubt not that | their wisdom will be proved by their good re- sults to the country. Ovr City Leoistatere.—One-half of the Board of Aldermen and an entire Board of Councilmen are to be chosen by the people of this city to-day. Our citizens have therefore an excellent opportunity to improve the class of their representatives at the City Hall; and, Heaven knows, an improvement is~ greatly needed. The property holders and taxpayers of this city have heretofore paid too little atten. tion to the selection of these men; but the pre- sent time furnishes an excellent oppertunity to inaugurate a reform. If they will only scruti- nize carefully the candidates for Aldermen they will find in almost every district men in nomi- nation who will be found all the time opposed to the swindles of the corrupt Ring, and who will protect the interests of the taxpayers of this city and co-operate with other officials in reducing the expenditures of the city govern- ment. As they have the voting of the money, it is all important that men are elected who will effectually destroy the unholy and expensive combination in that branch of the city govern- ment. We trust that this important duty will be performed at the polls to-day. | anappeal toarms. In Deceimb forces of the Creeks, Seminoles and 1 tives of all the other tribes, except the € and Chickasaws, met twice in battle, and in both conflicts the loyalists were su About that time the War Dep: Major General Hunter to send a force of four tment ordere thousand loyal Indians into the Indian Territo- | b I ; a { very naval resources of a great people, while, ‘sy contrast of tho means at his dispose) and-the ry to enforce the authority of the goverament. Commisioner Dole went out to Kansas to assist Hunter, and learned that, ina third battle, the loyal Indians had been defeated by the rebels, who had been strongly reinforeed from Texas It would be impessible to give an adequate idea of the sufferings endured by these loyal people after this defeat and before their arrival on the Southern border of Kansas, where they were immediately relieved by General Hunter. hundred and forty of the Creeks died of exposure and want, and over one hundred frosted limbs were amputated within two weeks after gthey reached Kansas. In consequence of causes not yet fully understood, the expedition to reinstate these Indians in their homes did not set out until the Ist of Jnly last, then only penetrated as far as Talequah, and soon retreated, on ac- count of difficnities between the officers of the white regiments detailed by General Halleck to accompany the {ndians. The Union senti- ment still existing among the inhabitants of the Indian country was manifested by the enlist- ment of a regiment of Cherokees, still in the United States service. Ten thousand destitute Indian men, women and children are now sub- sisted by the government in the south of Kan- sas, Another campaign is now in progress to restore these fugitives to their homes. The ex- pense incurred in aiding the refugees has been paid from the annuities withheld from secession tribes; but additional legislation is necessary in regard to the matter, and Commissioner Dole hopes that it will be most generous and ample. During most of the past year that portion of the superintendency of New Mexico known as Ari- zona has been occupied by the rebels, The Indian tribes in Arizona are the Apaches and the Pineos, Papagos and Maricopas, known un- der the general name of Pueblos. These Pue- blos tribes are more than half civilized and unquestionably loyal. They stand as a barrier between the white settlements and the wild Indians. So greatly are they trusted that gov- ernment has supplied them with one hundred muskets and ten thousand rounds of ammuni- tion. They are agricuituralists, and raised one million pounds of wheat lgst year. Ina short time they will quite able take carq of themselves. Tho to Apaohes, One j permitted to slip through bis fingers, He did not render the necessary and stipulated aid to General McClellan on the James river in the lience the humilia- tion of our navy in Hampton Roads by the Merrimac, the pavalysis of the operations of the army. and the final disastrous retreat from the Chickahominy and the James, and the rout of the army of Pope, the invasion of Maryland and Pennsylvania and the narrow escape of | Washington. Secretary Welles did not play his part in the programme. Tle failed, as the New York republican papers of yesterday admit that the War and Navy Departments have mise, tably failed iu the carrying out of their roles in co-operation with Burnside on the Rappahan- nock. What avails it to us that we have one hundred and four sailing vessels and three hun- ue ian to capture Richmond. dred and twenty-three steamers in the navy— amounting to four hundred and twenty-seven in all—and mounting thirty-two hundred and sixty- eight guns, if there is not some intelligent, ener- getic mind to guide their operations. The Mer- timac was permitted to keep at bay our whole navy in defence of the James river till the rebels accumulated such an army at Richmond as it was impossible for McClellan to resist, with his expected reinforcements cut off by orders from Washington. The manner in which Secretary Welles glosses over the results of the terror inspired by the rebel steamer is as unique as his claim to the credit of the design of the Monitor, whose achievements eaused the great rebel steamer to.commit suicide, The Monitor was at first a private enterprise, of which Welles never dreamed. He was all the time fast asleep, like Rip Van Winkle, in the famous hollow, while the world advanced twenty years. There is one thing for which the Secretary of the Navy deserves some: credit, and that is that he did not award one of the contracts to New London, in his own State, but to a differ” ent locality. What effect the exposure of the two and a half per cent commission to his brother-in-law Morgan, and his purchase of worthless ships at high prices, may have had in bringing him to this point, we cannot determine. But it seems to be ® health- fal symptom, mainly produced by the recent elections, like some other indications in the documents laid before Congress yesterday hy other sorvants of the people. On the whole we come to the conclusion that the report of the Seoretary of the Navy is the most decisive testimony ever borne to the onergy and has done is G watt What it Is Capable of doing and will do hoteatter, when its vast forces are fully brought iato play.» In despite of red tape and Secretary Welles, the .P4val power of the United States will soon make nlf felt to the ends of the garth, and America wi! hencaforward stand at the head of maritime Powe. Our Mineral ResoufteseRe, tt of the Seoretary of the Interior. + ~:2>, The apace occupied by the President's Mes- sage obliges us to confine ourselves te a brief notice of the report of the Seeretary of the Interior. It is the less necessary to give this document in full, seeing that ita leading points are disposed of jp the important i extracts from the report of the Commissioner of the Land Office, which ‘will be found elsewhere. In regard to the operations of the Land Office for the last year the results may be thus briefly summed up:-—As was to be expeot- ed from the protraction of the war, the demand for the public lands bag steadily continued to decline. From the 30th of September, 1861, to the 30th of September, 1862, there have beon surveyed 8,135,067.41 acres. Of these there have been sold for cash during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1862, and the first quarter of the current fiscal year, only 154,258.65 acres producing $157,476 26. During the same pe- riod there have been located with bounty land warrants 712,055.77 acres; 1,133,898.92 acres have been certified under railroad grants made by Congress, and 24,316.09 acres have been certified to different States a8 swamp lands, making the aggregate thus disposed of 2,024,529.43 acres, and leaving of surveyed lands ready for sale on the 30th of September, 1862, 135,328,868.84 acres. The outstanding and unsatisfied bounty warrante, under the laws of 1847, 1850, 1852 and 1855, at the same date, were 65,915, covering 7,123,380 acres. PF Referring to the immense development that has taken place in the mineral resources of the country, as shown by the report of the Land Commissioner, Secretary Smith says that, after extensive inquiry from, all available sources of information, the production of gold during the present year from the auriferous region which embraces Dacotah, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon and Washington, may be set dowa at one hundred millions. Ifan amount of labor relatively equal to that expended in California had been applied to the gold ficlds already known to exist ontside that State, it is believed that the production of this year, including that of California, would have exceeded four hundred miliions. The Secretary thinks that these vast mines of wealth may be made available to aid in liqui- dating our. national debt. Of the several modes suggested for making these lands productive to the government be specifies three, viz:—The granting of leases by the government, the collection of a certain portion of the pro- ceeds of the mines, and the absolute sale of the land in smal lots. It bas been estimated, he says, that at least $500,000,000 could be real- ized by the sale of the lands in one acre lots, after granting to those who are now engaged in mining a clear title, without cost, to the lands they occupy. The subject is one of transcend- aut importance, in view of the enormous in- evease that is daily being made to the public burthons, and should at once receive the atten- tion of Congress. The report suggests the necessity of immedi- ate legislation in connection with another clase of mineral riches to be found in the public de- main--namely, the extensive coal fields known as the Mount Diablo mines, on the Joaquin river, within forty miles of San Francisco. It shows that our steamers on the Pacific, which are now furuished with coal from Pennsylvauia. at twenty dollars a ton, can be readily sup- plied from these mines at twelve. It also recommends that that portion of the public lands of Texas, amounting to one hundred mil- lions of acres, which remains unsold, and which, owing to the treason of its people, is property subject to confiscation, shall be dec!ared for feited to the United States, aud placed under the operation of the Homesicad law. There are other important suggestions and recommenda tions in reference to Indian affairs, to which we devote some special remarks in another column; to the providing additional accommodation in the Patent Office, the appointment of Pension Commissioners, the establishment of a bureau of statistics in connection with the Ceasus Office, the limitation by Congress of tie power to sum- mon more than eighteen grand and twenty-four petit jurors for each term of the United States courts, the creation of a police court for the Distriet of Columbia, and the passage ofa law by Congress sanctioning the transfer of Washing. tou prisoners and authorizing the confinement in the penitentiary at Albany, or in some other prison. out of the District of Columbia, of all persons who may be convicted there, until a suitable prison shall be erected. In. regard to the public printing, the report states that the in- terest of the government has been. greatly pro- moted by the adoption of the present. mode of executing it—a regylt that no one-doubted ex- cept those interested in perpetuating the old contract system. Tae Great Easterx.—We are: gratified to receive so good report of the actual comdition of the Great Eastern as that which we publish to-day from Messrs. Howland and Aspinwall. We are informad, too, that within a few daysa scientific survey and report will be made which it is believed will fully confirm all that is said by her agents of the unimpaired strength and solidity of the ship. Scnoor Gowmissioners ann Trestems— We trust that our citizens will protect the youth of this city by casting their, votes for the very best men in nomination for @chool officers The election of efficient men and men of moral worth to look after the edueatiqnal interests of this city is one of the most impaytant features of the election to-day. There arg many good man, as well as many of whom least said the bet. ter, placed in nomination Tor Com Inspectors and Trastees. ’ Probably the candle ° ates for School Commissioners, us a generat thing, area better class than dsual; but still there is im almost every ward a groat difference in the candidates. It is te duty of every voter to select out of ‘fominated the best men, and see that they elected, and not let party ties or affiliations control their votes in soimportant aymatter as that of our schools, ‘There are mer, in nomination in several wards who have sown their efficiency and wsefultiogg as acho“ officers heretofore, ‘They should, by os hostile | poor results produced, the official bimself is one, -