this object in view, the working-parties were pushed to the utmost limit of their endurance, and, by the 1st of September, the eight astronomical stations assigned to the United States commission had been determined (by one party) and the line had been connected with the last station of the northwestern boundary, at the summit of the Rocky Mountains. Full details of the survey have been given in the preliminary reports from this office. Without recapitulation, I will only say that the results have been in every respect satisfactory. The commission returned to Saint Paul by way of the Missouri River and the Northern Pacific Railroad, making the distance from Fort Benton to Bismarck, (1,200 miles,) in open boats, in eighteen days. The men were discharged on the 5th of October. Thus in four months this expedition accomplished a journey of thirty-seven hundred miles, nine hundred of which was by land, and twelve hundred by water in open boats, besides surveying and marking three hundred and fifty-eight miles of the boundaryline. The topographical parties have been continuously in the field, both winter and summer, from the 1st of June, 1873, until the present time, with the exception of two months in the spring of 1874. They have demonstrated by experience that instrumental work can be done in that high latitude, even in the most rigorous part of the winter, where the country is wooded. On the open plains such exposure would be, beyond question, exceedingly dangerous. The limits of this report will allow only a very brief statement of the general character of the country passed over. That portion crossed by the part of the line surveyed during the present year was found to be an open plain entirely destitute of timber, but easily practicable for wagontrains, except in the vicinity of Frenchman's Creek and the crossing of Milk River, where wide detours had to be made to avoid the Bad Lands. From longitude 106 to the crossing of Milk River the country cannot be called attractive. The rain-fall is small, and water consequently scarce during the summer months. The soil is alkaline, and produces mostly sage-brush and cactus. From the Sweet Grass Hills to the Rocky Mountains its character is entirely changed. The rain-fall appears to be ample. The belt along the foot of the mountains, in addition to scenery of rare beauty, presents to the eye of the practical man the more solid advantage of an unsurpassed fertility. Northwestern Montana is still the range of immense herds of buffaloes, whose numbers, contrary to the commonly received opinion, are constantly increasing. This region is the country of the Blackfoot and Piegan tribes of Indians. It is also the debatable ground of the North Assiniboines, the Gros Ventres of the Prairie, and the River Crows, while an occasional war-party of Sioux may be found as far northwest as the Sweet Grass Hills. With the exception of the Sioux, these tribes appear to be peaceably enough disposed. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. J. TWINING, Capt. Engineers, Chief Astronomer. ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL, Esq., Commissioner Northern Boundary. 3 Mr. White to Mr. Fish...... Sept. 12 Attempted assassination of the President of the Argentine Republic. Page. 5 Ministerial crisis in Hungary. Confessional laws presented to the Reichsrath. 7 Mr. Jay to Mr. Fish 1873. Nov. 6 Opening of the Reichsrath. ......do Dec. 24 Virginius affair ......do Dec. 26 The same subject.. 10 ....do 11 ......do 12 ......do Resignation of Baron Lederer as umpire to the Prorogation of the Reichsrath; confessional laws Declarations respecting the foreign policy of the Close of the sessions of the Delegations at Buda- Retirement of Baron Lederer as umpire of the International Sanitary Conference at Vienna.. Case of Josef Barts; circumstances under which International Sanitary Conference to be held at Reply to the above inquiry.. 12 17' 18 24 25 27 29 30 32 333 3333 34 34 38 no |