expressed
at the attack on the Spanish Consul at New Orleans, and the insult to
the Spanish flag. The aggregate receipts for the last fiscal year were
$52,312,979.87, with the balance on hand at the commencement, making the
means of the treasury for the year $58,917,524.36, against
$48,005,878.66. The imports of the year ending June 30, 1851, were
$215,725 995, of which $4,967,901 were in specie. The exports were
$217,517,130, of which $178,546,555 were domestic, and $9,738,695
foreign products. Specie exported, $29,231,880. Since December 1850, the
payments of principal of the debt were $7,501,456.56, which is inclusive
of $3,242,400 paid under the 12th article of the treaty with Mexico, and
$2,591,213.45 awards under the late treaty with Mexico. The public debt,
exclusive of stock, authorized to be issued to Texas, was
$62,560,395.26. The receipts for the next fiscal year, are estimated at
$51,800,000, making, with the balance on hand, the available means of
the year $63,258,743.09. The expenditures are estimated at
$42,892,299.19, of which $33,343,198 are for ordinary purposes of
government, and $9,549,101.11 for purposes consequent upon the
acquisition of territory from Mexico. It is estimated that there will be
an unappropriated balance of $20,366,443.90 in the Treasury on the 30th
of June, 1853, to meet $6,237,931.35 of public debt due on the 1st of
July following. The value of the domestic exports for the year ending
June 30, 1851, show an increase of $43,646,322, which is owing to the
high price of cotton during the first half of the year, and the price of
which has since declined one-half. The value of the exports of
breadstuffs is only $21,948,653 against $26,051,373 in 1850, and
$68,701,921 in 1847--our largest year of export in that department of
trade. In rice the decrease this as compared with last year in the
export, is $460,917, which with the decrease in the value of tobacco
exported, makes an aggregate decrease in the two articles of $1,156,751.
From these premises the President draws the conclusion, that the
favorable results anticipated by the advocates of free trade from the
adoption of that policy have not been realized.

The case of Mr. Thrasher, alluded to in our last, is the subject of a
letter from the Secretary of State to our Minister in Madrid, under date
of December 13. Mr. Webster directs efforts to secure Mr. Thrasher's
release from imprisonment Mr. Thrasher was sent to Spain on the 24th