The delegate from this Territory made a specific proposition to raise a regiment of mounted volunteers for this Territory, which was voted down without a division. The silly speech of the delegate no doubt contributed much to the defeat of the measure, as a similar proposition, in favor of Texas, passed the same committee at the same time, but even that did not finally become a law. The delegate travelled out of his way to assail the governor, and charged him with the weighty responsibility of protecting the Territory by means of the militia, which he said the legislature had enabled him to do, although he must have known the statement was untrue, and that there was no provision made by law to enable the governor either to pay or feed them when called into service. The governor will never force you from the defence of your homes and your families to perform service which properly belongs to others who are paid for it. Of course, if Congress believed, with your delegate, that the governor was responsible for the protection of the Territory, there was no reason why they should vote money for that purpose, and therefore the measure was lost. But the reason assigned by the delegate, even if it had been true, was as strange as his conclusion. He contended that the governor was bound to protect the Territory with his unpaid and unfed militia, because he was opposed to the treaty of peace, the nonfulfilment of which had brought upon the Territory all those disasters. Now, to a plain mind, it would seem that those who made the treaty of peace, and who provided that the military should enforce its execution, were much more responsible for the evils which had flowed from it than the governor, who had nothing to do with the treaty, and who was opposed to the armistice, but not the treaty, because it was granted at the moment when the Indians could have been crushed at a single blow, under a most mistaken confidence in their white crosses and professions of humility, which the governor then believed a "humbug,' and which we now know, from sad experience, was one.

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The delegate well knew who was responsible for the disasters in this Territory, and who had the power to avert them. But he seemed afraid to offend those in power, and those who had patronage and favors to bestow. He knew by whose orders "the late impending and most necessary war against the aggressive and powerful Navajoes was suspended, and the most efficient troops transferred to Texas and the plains, leaving this Territory," in his own language, "almost entirely unprotected;" and yet, instead of employing the manly language of truth and remonstrance against the injustice and cruelty done to his constituents by these orders, he meanly stoops to play the sycophant and compliment the author of them as "the distinguished Secretary." No doubt, he deceived the Secretary of War, by telling him, as he told the House of Representatives, that the governor was responsible for the protection of the Territory, and that the legislature had provided him with ample means for doing it. Under such representation, it is not wonderful that the war against the Navajoes was suspended and the troops transferred to Texas and the plains; and I leave it to the people to decide whether such a sycophant is worthy to represent a free and suffering people.

It is the second time our delegate has gone out of his way to assail

the governor of the Territory for the quiet but independent discharge of his public duty; and upon both occasions he has employed, and, to some extent, misrepresented the contents of a private letter; and both these exhibitions of himself have been complete abortions. It. was the saying of a distinguished ancient writer, that the true test of eloquence was an orator's success. But it seems to be the peculiar characteristic of Mr. Otero's eloquence that it destroys every measure he advocates, and carries every one he opposes. How long the interest and character of this Territory are to be sacrificed at Washington by such eloquence, it is for the people who suffer from it to determime. A. RENCHER, Governor New Mexico.

SANTA FÉ, August 20, 1860.

Governor Rencher to General Cass.

[Extract.]

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,

Hon. LEWIS CASS,

Santa Fé, October 15, 1860.

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SIR : Our Indian troubles continue without abatement; indeed, the Navajoes are more daring in their robberies than at any previous time. Not long since, they seized and carried off, at 2 o'clock in the day, upwards of two hundred mules from within eight miles of this city. A company of mounted troops were sent in pursuit of them, but as usual were unsuccessful in overtaking the Indians. The volunteer forces raised in August, of which I informed you, have gone, without authority of law, into the Navajoe country, leaving their own homes unprotected; while the regular army certainly does not afford the protection which is expected of it, and which it could and would do under a different direction of its powers.

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With great respect, &c.,

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Secretary of State, Washington.

A. RENCHER, Governor of New Mexico.

Mr. Rencher to Mr. Cass.

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, Santa Fé, November 10, 1860.

SIR: In compliance with the request contained in your communication of the 1st of October last, that I should keep the department informed of any occurrences that might take place relative to unauthorized invasions of the Indian country, I have the honor herewith to enclose to the department a copy of the Santa Fé Gazette, containing a no

tice of the volunteer force now in the Navajo country. As these volunteers went out without my authority, and against my advice, I hear nothing from them officially. It was one of the conditions of their organization that they should not be subjected to the control of the department commander, or of the governor of the Territory, or have any communication with either of them

It appears from the article in the Gazette, and from other reports which have reached us, that the volunteers have penetrated, with some difficulty, into the heart of the Navajo country, taken possession of their corn-fields, captured a large amount of stock belonging to the Indians, with some hundred captives, chiefly women and children, and were waiting for a favorable opportunity to return. This information was brought by some Pueblo Indians, who were a part of the expedition, and who brought back some five thousand sheep and horses as their portion of the spoils. It is certain that Mr. Phifer, a sub-agent for the Utah Indians, made an expedition into the Navajo country, with a force consisting of Mexicans and Utah Indians, and captured and brought away a large amount of stock and some Indian captives. These unauthorized expeditions into the Navajo country by other Indian tribes are known to the superintendent of Indian affairs, and I presume are approved of by him. The Gazette is owned by him, and edited by the agent for the Navajo Indians. You will see from a leading article in the number I send you, that the Gazette justifies and approves these unauthorized invasions of the Navajo country. It would, therefore, be difficult, if not impossible, for the governor successfully to prosecute these violations of the laws of the United States, as suggested by you, while those who are appointed the special guardians of the Indians encourage such violations. But for a few interested speculators, backed by some federal officers, these unauthorized expeditions would never, in my opinion, have been organized; because, in the main, the Mexicans are a law abiding people. Admonitory instructions from the proper departments would, without doubt, correct the evils complained of without any prosecutions at law.

For a year past, the Mexicans have suffered much from the Navajo Indians, and have had good cause to complain. If, during the spring and summer, I had possessed the means, I would have taken the responsibility of calling out the military force of the Territory to chastise them. But after the arrival of large reinforcements from Utah, and after orders were received from the Secretary of War, directing Colonel Fauntleroy to make a vigorous campaign against these Indians, I saw no necessity for volunteers, and no excuse whatever for the lawless manner of calling them out.

Upon inquiry I find that since the resignation of Richard H. Thompkins no district attorney has been appointed for this Territory, and the office is now vacant.

With great respect, your obedient servant,

Hon. LEWIS CASS,

A. RENCHER,

Governor of New Mexico.

Secretary of State, Washington.

H. Ex. Doc. 24-2

CONGRESS

CONGRESS

No. 25.

RIFLED CANNON, &c.

LETTER

FROM

THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY,

TRANSMITTING

A report of the superintendent of ordnance at the Washington navy yard on rifled cannon and the armament of ships-of-war.

JANUARY 9, 1861.-Referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs, and ordered to be printed.

Hon. WILLIAM PENNINGTON,

NAVY DEPARTMENT, January 8, 1861.

SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the resolution of the House of Representatives of the 3d instant, requesting the Secretary of the Navy to communicate to the House "the report of the superintendent of ordnance at the Washington navy yard on rifled cannon and the armament of ships-of-war," and, in compliance therewith, to transmit the accompanying copy of a report made to the chief of the Bureau of Ordnance, December 10, 1860, by Commander John A. Dahlgren, and referred by him to this department, with a communication on the subject.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

I. TOUCEY.

BUREAU OF ORDNANCE AND HYDROGRAPHY, December 26, 1860.

SIR: I beg to transmit, herewith, a communication from Commander Dahlgreen to this bureau, on the armature of ships-of-war, with reference to their powers of resistance of rifled and other projectiles. The subject is one of great significance, in view of the fact that it has been actually adopted to a considerable extent in the navies of France and England, and with the advantage of their experience will, I presume, be soon introduced in our own.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, sir, your obedient servant, G. A. MAGRUDER,

Chief of the Bureau.

Hon. ISAAC TOUCEY, Secretary of the Navy.