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REPORT

OF THE

SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,

November 29, 1851.

SIR: For the purpose of enabling you to recommend to Congress, at its approaching session, such measures as you may judge necessary and expedient respecting the various subjects confided to the Department of the Interior, I respectfully submit the following report.

The law creating this department was approved the 3d of March, 1849. By its provisions, the Secretary of the Interior is required to exercise supervisory and appellate powers over the acts of the Commissioner of Patents, of the General Land Office, of Indian Affairs, of Pensions, and of Public Buildings; and also over the accounts of marshals, clerks and other officers of the courts of the United States; over the officers engaged in taking the census, the inspectors and warden of the penitentiary of the District of Columbia, and the subject of lead and other mines of the United States. He is also charged with other duties not specially mentioned in the law, but which, from their peculiar nature, appropriately belong to his office. Among these is the general supervision of the proceedings of the commission instituted, under the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, to run and mark the boundary line between the United States and Mexico. Under each of these several heads he has important and responsible functions to perform. He prescribes rules for the general administration of the different bureaus ; sees to their faithful execution, and decides, judicially, on all appeals from cither of them which may be brought before him.

Such is the general outline of the duties of the office. The reports of the heads of the several bureaus will give full and satisfactory information of their respective operations, accompanied by many valuable suggestions of improvements and modifications in the existing laws.

It is proper, however, that I should exhibit to you a condensed summary of the condition of the department as a whole, with such remarks of my own as the public interests seem, in my judgment, to demand. This I will now proceed to do; and, for the sake of convenient reference, my statements will be arranged under the different heads above enumerated, and such others as may be necessary.

ESTIMATES OF APPROPRIATIONS,

The following tabular statement shows the estimates of the departments for the fiscal year ending 30th June, 1853, with a parallel column exhibiting those for the year ending 30th June, 1852. This form of presenting the subject is adopted for the purpose of making a comparison of the estiinates of the two years without the trouble of a reference to former reports, Part -17

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A reference to the aggregate of the two columns will show that the estimates for the next year are less, by $1,436,695 43, than those for the present fiscal year, although they embrace many items of large amount for new objects not embraced in the estimates for the present year-as, for example, $150,000 for the census, and upwards of $300,000 for surveying the public lands in California.

This reduction results from no diminution of the actual expenses of this branch of the public service, but from the fact that the estimates for this year embraced many very large items for deficiencies of the preceding year. A vicious practice has prevailed for some years past, of reducing the estimates at the commencement of the session below the amount actually necessary, with the view of afterwards applying for additional appropriations in what is called a deficiency bill. I took occasion in my last report to express my disapprobation of this practice, and I required the heads of the several bureaus, attached to this department, to make full and fair estimates of all that the public service required. It was accordingly done, and now, instead of deficiencies amounting to near two millions of dollars, it will be found that they are but little over $300,000. It is impossible to foresee what will be the actual expenditures of any given year, because they depend on contingencies beyond the control of the departinent; but it must be admitted that there has been a reasonable approximation to accuracy, when it is found that, in the disbursement of more than seven millions of dollars, the expenditures exceed the estimate only about $300,000.

With these general remarks, I proceed to submit detailed explanations of each class of the estimates, in the order in which they stand.

Department proper.

Under this head the estimate for the next fiscal year exceeds that for the present, $7,577 50. This results from the fact that at the expiration of the last fiscal year unexpended balances of former appropriations remained, as stated in my last annual report, which brought the estimates of the present year below their legitimate amount.

Land service.

The estimate for the present fiscal year amounted to
To this add the amount appropriated at the
last session, for settling land-titles in Cali-
fornia

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That for surveys of the public lands
And the sum embraced in the present esti-
mates, to meet deficiencies for the present
year

$50,000 00
25,000 00

And the expenditures properly chargeable to the present fiscal year will be shown to be

$836,152 50

- 155,305 00

230,305 00

1,066,457 50

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$1,284,916 47

155,305 00

1,129,611 47

The estimate for the next fiscal amounts to
year
Deduct the sum embraced therein to meet deficiencies
in the present year

And the amount chargeable to the next year is
Being an excess over the estimate for the present year, of

63,153 97

This is accounted for by the unexpectedly large amount required for the surveys in California. Leaving California out of the question, and the estimates compare thus:

Estimate for the present year

Deduct the amount therein for surveys in California

And it will leave the amount chargeable to the present year

$836,152 50

7,000 00

829,152 50

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822,036 47

And the amount properly chargeable to the next fiscal year will be

Being $7,116 03 less than the amount properly chargeable to the present year.

Indian affairs.

Under this head the estimates for the next fiscal year amount to $1,098,196 30 less than those for the present fiscal year. For reasons stated in my last annual report, the estimates for the present year were unusually large, but the estimates for the next fiscal year are even below the average of those for the last and present fiscal years.

Pensions.

Here the estimates for the next fiscal year amount to $1,053,686 31 less than those for the present year.

It was stated in my last report, that though the estimates for the present year amounted to $2,624,726 31,

there was chargeable to the present year only the sum of $2,260,037 86 To this add $20,733 33, appropriated at the last session, but not embraced in the last estimates, and $20,000 embraced in the present estimates, to meet deficiencies on account of clerk-hire for the present year, rendered necessary by the bounty land law of 28th Sept., 1850

Then deduct the sum which it is now anticipated will remain on the 30th June, 1852, as the unexpended balances of appropriations for paying pensions

And the amount now ascertained to be chargeable to the present year is only

The estimate for the next fiscal year amounts to
To this add the sum of the unexpended balances which it
is supposed will remain on hand at the end of the present
year

Then deduct the amount einbraced therein to meet deficiencies in the present year

40,733 33

2,300,771 19

380,500 00

1,920,271 19

$1,566,040 00

380,500 00

1,946,540 00

20,000 00

And the amount properly chargeable to the next fiscal will be found to be

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Only $6,268 $1 more than for the present year, notwithstanding the increase of clerical force rendered indispensably necessary in the execution of the bounty land law of 1850.

Census.

The estimates of last year embraced nothing under this head, the former appropriations being then thought sufficient to meet all demands. The experience of another year, however, would indicate otherwise, and for this reason the further sum of $150,000 is asked, to complete the work. It is gratifying to find that in estimating for such an extensive service, so near an approximation to the actual cost was attained.

United States courts.

Here there is an apparent excess over the estimate of last year of $79,306. The appropriation for the last fiscal year fell short of the actual

expenditures of that year, about $20,000, which was supplied out of the appropriation for the present fiscal year. The diversion of that amount from the purposes of the present year, renders it necessary to increase to that extent the estimate for the next fiscal year. And it has been found necessary to increase the estimate for the next fiscal year for California, New Mexico and Utah, alone, to $70,000, being an increase of $25,000. The estimates for the next fiscal year amount to Deduct the sum required to replace a like amount of the present appropriation applied to the purposes of the last year

And also the additional amount included for
California, New Mexico and Utah

$20,000 00

$672,053 00

25,000 00

45,000 00

627,053 00

And the excess of the estimate for the next fiscal year over that for the present year is only $34,306; an increase of expenditures not inconsistent, it is believed, with the increase of judicial districts and the business therein, and not greater than the average of the annual increase of expenditures for judicial purposes.

Pauper lunatics and agricultural statistics.

Under these heads the estimates are the same as last year.

Public buildings.

Under this head the estimates for the next fiscal year are $62,770 29 less than they were for the present year, notwithstanding they embrace items to the amount of $51,834 71 to meet deficiencies in the appropriations for the present fiscal year.

The estimates for the next fiscal year amount to
Deduct therefrom the amount of the deficiencies chargeable

$418,504 71

to the present year

51,834 71

And the amount properly chargeable to the next year will be

366,670 00

The estimates for the present fiscal year amounted to -
Add the deficiencies above stated

$481,375 00

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51,834 71

533,109 71

And the amount properly chargeable to the present year will be

Which is $166,439 71 more than is now estimated for the next fiscal year.

Penitentiary.

Here the estimate for the next fiscal year is $2,690 less than that for the present year. This diminution of expenditures results from the increased productiveness of the institution, arising from its better management.

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