Mr. ECKLEY. I will give the gentleman an opportunity before the vote is taken. Mr. Speaker, lam not one who is articularly favorable to the donation of public lands. I have looked upon these large grants of land witha considerabledegree of jealousy, being my self from a State that has no lands to be granted, and no improvements that are expected to be benefited by any such donations from the General Government. But I have investigated this among the nu merous propositions of the kind that have come before the present Congress, and I have become satisfied that there is none that has been or can be presented which has more claim upon the public interest than this. It has been very well said that this improvement will benefit the navigation of a distance of 250 or 300 miles. It will avoid a difficulty with which all of us are acquainted who live on the northern frontier the great danger of loss of vessels at the place called “Deaths Door.” T iis bill is recommended by the Chambers of Commerce of Milwaukee, Chicago, and Green Bay. It comes recommended by the Legislatures of Michigan and Wisconsin and I think any gentleman who will look at the report of the engineer on this subject cannot hesitate to approve of either this or some other aid for the purpose of completing the werk. I desire to call attention to a few facts connected with the commerce of that portion of our lakes. From the report of the engineer it appears that the distance around the penin sula saved on each voya e to and from Green bay to Chicago is 200 miles, or a saving of one 5th of the entire voyage, and will avoid the dangerous navigation of the Death s Door" channel at the presententrance into Green bay. It will open to the shipping of the lakes a harbor of refuge at Sturgeon buy, the finest and most commodiouson the western lakes. The great lumber region of Green bay shipped from there in 1865 200 million feet of sawed lumber, 249 million shingles; also square timber, cord wood, tau bark, cedar posts, railroad ties, tel egraph poles, shingle bolts, staves, and furni ture timber in large usntities, all the above being products of the crest, and valued in the aggregate at $3, 500,000. The Green buy fisheries in 1865 ielded 24000 ackages, value at $180,000. The quantity of wheat, flour, and other cereals shipped from Green bay is about 400 tons perweek. The quantity of merchandise, salt, iron, coal. pork, and beef shipped into the lumber region at Green bay is about 1000 tons perweek. I think this statement of facts is sufficient to satisfy the minds of those who look with the greatest jealousy upon donations of this kind, that this donation shOuld be made and for that reason the committee felt constrained to report unanimously in favor of this bill. nless some gentleman wants to ask some further questions in regard to this bill, I will call the previous question. i