vice of our navy boys over the age of thirteen and under the age of eighteen, until they should arrive at the age of twenty-one years, has already attracted the attention of Congress. At the last session a bill for this purpose was introduced into the Senate. Every year the importance of this measure becomes more apparent. Able seamen are much wanted, while there are boys enough in our cities leading lives of idleness and vice, for want of employment, who, if thus enlisted, uuder judicious regulations, would, in a few years, afford us a sufficient corps of able seamen to mãn our navy, and, in the mean time, render services to their country worth their pay.

The compensation to be given, by the late pay bill, to professors of mathematics, is such as to command the services of those who are every way competent to perform the duties of this station. A regulation is adopted to appoint none to this station who shall not receive a certifi

cate of competency, after submitting to a rigid examination by scientific gentlemen who shall be appointed for that purpose. This will be of great advantage lo the young officers of the navy; and if a large portion of

them should be called into active service, by employing an additional naval force for the protection of our conımerce, they will be enabled to perfect themselves in seamaoship, the most important part of their education, which can be acquired only at sea ; but to make them accomplished officers, something more is required thao can probalily be derived from those sources. A knowledge of military lactics, of engineering, and drawing, is deemed indispensable in the education of an officer of the army, and which ought to be deemed equally so in the education of a uaval officer. So much of chemistry, mineralogy, geology, and natural history, as is taught at the Military Academy, although not absolutely essential to the military or naval officer, yet is decidedly more important to the latter than to the foriner.

If provision should be made for the admission of a class of one hundred midshipmen at a time at the academy at West Point, to pursue such studies as should be prescribed by the Navy Department, and to be succeeded at the end of one or two years by another class, all, in their turn, might receive the advantage of this course of studies, highly necessary to their education as accomplished officers of the navy, and at a small expense ; as the midshipmen, while at the academy, would receive no more pay than if attending the schools at the navy yards, or if waiting orders.

A national observatory, although not immediately necessary to the defence of our country, is remotely so; and, considered with reference to the bearing it would have upon our navs, our commerce, anci scientific pursuits, it assumes an importance worthy the consideration of Congress.

It is hardly to be doubted that we shall at some future period make such an establishment, and I will venture to express an opinion that no time can be more propitious for such an undertaking than the present. It would not be altended with any great expense. It is necessary now to employ an officer of science to keep our maps and charts, to regulate our chronometers, and to preserve all inathematical and philosophical instruments required for the naval service, and buildings are necessary for these purposes.

These duties would properly devolve upon the superintendent of an observatory, and the buildings necessary to such an establishinent would

be amply sufficient for the preservation of our maps, charts, and instru

inents.

Under the act concerning naval pensions and the navy pension fund, eighteen invalid pensions have been granted since my last report, making the number on the roll three hundred and five, and the apnual amount required to pay them $24,944; -and-forty-one widows' pensions have been granted, inaking the number on the roll one hundred and fifty, and the annual amount necessary to pay them $32,594.

'The annual charge, the:efore, according to the present roll, will amount to $57,538.

It is not probable that all on the list will claim ; but as the death of a pensioner is not officially known except when the account is settled by his or her representative, the number is made out from the rolls in this Department. Sonne have not claimed for two, three, four, and five years, but, as they are not knowu to be dead, their names are still continued on the rolls. The receipts ($111,627 62,] and expenditures ($78,907 82,1 on account of the fund, to the 3014 September last, will be seen in the statement marked M, and the amount and description of stocks belonging to the l'und in the statement (page 204.7

Under the act the 19th June, 1834, respecting pensions chargeable to the privateer pension fund, since my last report, 'six widows have re. ceived five years' pension each, aniounting to $2,400; more than five years have elapsed since the date to which they were last paid. Two invalid pensions have also been granted, making the number on the roll thirty-six, and the annual amount required to pay them $3,184.

The account of stock, ($8,367 05,] and of receipts ($8,121 06,) and expenditures, [$3,935 47,) will be seen in statement N.

The condition of the navy hospital fund, including receipts and expenditures, will appear in statement O. (page 204.] The annual receipts are much greater than the disbursements; and, as they will probably continue to be greater for several years, I respectfully repeat the sugges. tion in my last report, that authority be given to vest the surplus in some well secured stock for the benefit of the fund.

Under the act of the 30th June, 1834, the widows of all officers, seamen, and marines, who have died in the naval service since the first day of January, 1824, or wlio may die in said service, hy reason of disease contracted, or of casualties by drowning or otherwise, or of injuries received while ju the line of duty, are entitled to pensions equal to half the a inount of the pay to which their husbands respectively were entitled at the time of their leaths.

The act of the 3it of March last, "to regulate the pay of the navy of the United States," and which increased the pay of many officers, is silent as to pensions. A difficulty arises in ascertaining the proper amount of pension to be allowed to widows of naval officers whose pay has been increased by this act. The pay of a captain in command if a squadron was increased to four thousand dollars a year ; when on other duty, to three thousand five bundred dollars; and when off duty, to two thousand five hundred dollars. A corresponding increase of pay is made to other officers

lo the case of a captain dying when in command of a squadron ou a foreign station, a question arises whether his widow should receive a

pension to the amount of six hundred dollars a year, to which she would have been entitled if this act had not passed, or whether she shall receive the half of the amount of the pay to which her husband was entitled at the time of his death, as a captain commanding a squadron, as a captain on other duty, or as a captain off duty.

After much deliberation, it has been decided to allow a pension in such case of $1,135 62 a year, being the half pay of a captain cominanding a squadron, reduced by the amount of $1,728 75, equal to his allowance before this act. The salary of four thousand dollars a year to a captain in command of a syvadıon is in lieu of former pay and emoluments. Those emoluments, excepting one ration a day, announted to $1,728 75,

which sum, deducted from $4,000, leaves $2,271 25. the half of which, $1,135 62, is considered as the proper amount of the widows' annual pension.

Questions on pensions more complicated than this may arise under this act, especially in the case of the deaths of surgeons and assistant surgeous, whose grades of pay are more numerous than those of captains.

The necessity of an explanatory act, to obviate these difficulties, is respectfully suggested. By the act of Congress of the 10th July, 1832, is is required that any surplus money belonging to the navy pension fund

shall be vested in the stock of the Bank of the United States. The amount so vested is $619, 100, and this Department has no authority to make a different investment without the furiher action of Congress.

Previously to the passing of the act of the 301h of June, 1834, for the better organization of the United States marine corps, double rations had been allowed to the cominandant of that corps, and to the officers of the same, commanding at the navy yards at Portsmouth, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washinglun, Norfolk, and Pensacola ; and to the senior marine officers in the squadrous in the Mediterranean, the West Indies, the Brazilian coast, and the Pacific oceau, all receiving the sanction of

Congress by their appropriations. By this act, the officers of the marine corps itre 10 receive the same pay, emoluments, and allowances as are given in officers of similar grades in the infantry

The act of the 16th of March, 1802, fixing the military peace estab lishment of the United States, authorizes allowances to the commanding

officers of each separate post of such additional number of rations as the President of the United States shall from time to time direct.

These provisions of this last act were continued by an act of the 3d of March, 1815, fixing the military peace establishment.

The paymaster of the marine corps inade payments for double rations ta officers heretofore receiving the saine, from the 1st of July to the 30th of September, 1834 ;- but the accounting officers of the Treasury did

noi think proper to allow the same, inasmuch as the commands of these officers had never been designated as separate stalions, agreeably to the rule prescribed for the army. This is a case of difficulty which, it is respectfully suggested, requires the ivterposition of Congress.

Being still of the opinion expressed in my last report, that the public interest would be promoted by having the marine barracks placed without the nary yards to which they are attached, as early as may be practicable, estimales are submitted for purchasing sites and erecting burracks at places where they are deemed most necessary.

the arny.

In performance of my duty under the act of the 314 of March lasi, au. thorizing the construction of a dry dock for the naval service in the har. bor of New York, or its adjacent waters, I proceeded in May last to the city of New York, where I was met by an able engineer, Loammi Bald

win, E:q., whom I had previously engaged to make the soundings and other examinations necessary to a proper selection of a suitable site.

After a long and laborious examination, Mr. Baldwin made his report, which was submited to your consideration, by which it appears that the proposed diy dock may be advantageously constructed in the navy yard at Brooklyo. A selection of this place for this purpose is recommended by the consideration that the land 'occupied as the navy yard belongs to the United States, and that the public buildings upon it, which are of great value, cannot be abandoned without serious loss.

One difficulty presented itself, which created some delay in making this selection ; a building, for the purpose of distilling turpentine, had been erected so near the navy yard as greatly to endanger the public property i other buildings for similar purposes, or for purposes equally dangerous, might be erected near the yard if not prevented by some acı of legislation. I am happy to state that the common council of Brooklyn, when the case was laid before them, promptly passed an ordinance, which, it is believed, will cffectually secure the property in the navy yard from the danger of this nuisance and all similar ones, and it cannot be doubted that the common council of Brooklyn will grant all reasonable protection and accommodation to this navy yaril, and that the State of New York will protect and promote the interests of the same by any legislative acts that may be found to be necessary and proper.

I shall therefore proceed under your direction, with as much despatch as present and future appropriations will pernil, to cause the dry dock thus authorized by law to be constructed in the navy yard at Brooklyn.

Under the act of the 30th June, 1834, "authorizing the Secretary of the Navy to make experiments for the safety of the steam engine,” and appropriating $5,000 for that purpose, many proposed improvements have been submilleri for the purpose of being tested by experiments. Some of these were so easily tested hy those having steam engines in opera. rion, that the aid of Government was not needet. Oihers were attend. led with greater difficulty, and could not be tested without the expense of constructing hoilers and other machinery for the purpose These proposed improvements bave not been such as, in my opinion, in warrant a large expenditure of money, and no experiments have been made upon Them. Such experiments, however, would have been made, if they could have been so made without the expense of constructing engines.

The act seemed particularly to require that the steam engine devised by Benjamin Phillips, of Philadelphia, should be examined and tested, and that Mr. Phillips should be enployed in making the experiments. Mr. Phillips, was, therefore, employed 10 coustruct a niodel engine, with boilers and other machinery, which be deemed necessary for the purpose lof testing his improvements, which he bronght to this District, where he remained several weeks making his experiments before many members of the two Houses of Congress, before the officers of the different depari. ments, and others.

I attended very carefully to these experiments, but have not been able

to perceive in them any improvement increasing the safety of the steam engine. The money paid for Mr. Phillips's machinery, preparations, and experiments, amounts to $519 75; the residue of the appropriation remains unexpended.

The fourth report of Mr. Hassler, superintendent of the coast survey, upon the operations performed in that work between the months of May and December, 1835, together with his detailed estimate of the appro. priations required for the same for the next year, are herewith submitted.

Much work appears to have been done on the secondary triangulations, in the topographical operations, and by the sounding parties. That niore has not been done in the primary triangulations, is explained in the report.

or the appropriations heretofore made for this survey there remained, on the 1st day of this mouth, an unexpended balance of $8,823.

The duties of the sounding parties are performed by the officers and seamen of the navy, and the chief part of the expense is charged to the vavy appropriations. As, however, there are some expenses wbich cannot be charged to these appropriations, they must necessarily be charged to the appropriations for the coast survey. In September, 1834, the

schooner Jersey, not wanted for any purposes of the navy, was purchased for ihe sounding party, under the cominand of Lieutenant Gedney. The price of this resse!, ($3,350,) therefore, could not be charged to the naval appropriations; i: was properly charged to the appropriation for the coast survey. For the same reason, the boats, equipments, and other expenses for the schovner, a mounting to $1,888 60, were charged to the same appropriation, as was also the charge for extra pay to the officers, amounting 10 $650, or, in all, for the year 1834, to $5,888 60.

During the present season the expense of this schoomer, chargeable to the coast survey, has amounted to $1,399, making the whole expense of this schooner, for the years 1834 and 1835, chargeable to the coast sur vey, amount to $7,287 60. It is not probable that the expense of this schooner, chargeable to the coast survey appropriation, will, for the next year exceed $1,500.

The schooner Experimeni, employed by the sounding party, under Lieutenant Blake, belongs 10 the riavy. The coat survey appropriation Thus, therelore, been charged only for equipments, which were not necessary for the purposes of the navy. These, with other expenses attendling the operations of the sounding party on board this schooper, from the 1st of July last, u ben she was sont upon the s rvey, to the 30th of September last, a mounted to $2,517 73.

As most of the equipments of these schovners will last for several scars, with but little expense for repairs and supply of articles which may be lost by accident, it is believeil that the expense of both schooners and the sounding parties on board of them, for the next year, chargeable to the coast survey, will not exceed $4,000.

It will be seen that this differs widely from the statement of Mr. Hassler, which may be explained by the circumstance that he did not derive his information from the books of the Treasury Department.

By a statement hereunto itunexed, it appears that, of the appropriations heretofore made for the suppression of the slave trade, there remains iu the treasury a balance of $ 13,489 55.