three dollars per week, and a total cost of $4,377.43. At Pensacola but 17 patients have been reported to be relieved, at an average cost of $3.50 per week, and a total of $156.. There is a necessity for a different system of legislation for such objects." In this report a comparison is made between the cost of maintaining the patients under the contract system and in regular marine hospitals, as follows: "Cost by contract, each man, per week: Bridgeton, N. J., $1.50; Cincin nati, $5; New York, $4; Portsmouth, $2; Middletown, $2; and at Machias, Waldoboro, Kennebunk, Belfast, Presque Isle, and Sackett's Harbor, each $2.50. Cost in marine hospitals, each man, per week: Cleveland, $4.84; Norfolk, $5.09; Chicago, $5.77; Chelsea, $6.11; New Orleans, $6.31; San Francisco, $6.62; Louisville, $7.21; Mobile, $8.19; Key West, $8.47; Pittsburgh, $10.71; Paducah, $16.10; Ocracoke, $18.20; Napoleon, $25.41; Natchez, $70.70." This comparison, besides giving only partial data, was obviously unfair, as those hospitals showing the highest average cost were altogether unnecessary, as is shown by Mr. Cobb himself. He states of the Burlington marine hospital, that there was small necessity for it in the first place. It was originally built at a cost of $39,111.27, which the Collector of that port characterizes as a useless and extravagant expenditure. He estimates $250 per annum as a reasonable estimate for future disbursements; and even this estimate has proved excessive, as the report for the fiscal year 1873 showed an expenditure of $147.25; for 1874, $104.41; and for 1875, $129.28. The great advantage of regular hospitals over those conducted by contract could not be seen when there was but a single hospital with a resident surgeon, when the hospitals were never inspected except at long intervals, when there was but little if any accountability on the part of the persons having them in charge, and when there were no statistics showing the duration of treatment. Wherever seamen are cared for at a per-diem rate, and their discharge from hospital not under control, the duration of treatment will be great, and the expense necessarily large. At the breaking out of the war of secession, there were marine hospitals belonging to the United States at the following ports: Burlington, Vt.; Burlington, Iowa; Chelsea, Mass.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Charleston, S. O.; Chicago, Ill.; Oleveland, Ohio; Detroit, Mich.; Evansville, Ind.; Galena, Ill.; Key West, Fla.; Louisville, Ky.; Mobile, Ala.; Natchez, Miss.; Napoleon, Ark.; Norfolk, Va.; Ocracoke, N. O.; Paducah, Ky.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Portland, Me.; St. Louis, Mo.; St. Marks, Fla.; San Francisco, Cal.; and Wilmington, N. C. All of these in the seceded States, with the exception of those at St. Marks and Key West, were taken possession of by the Confederate forces, and held until reoccupied by the national authorities. On March 1, 1862, Congress, in appropriat ing $200,000 for the marine hospital fund, authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to rent either of the several marine hospitals to the proper authorities of the cities or towns where they were located, and to contract with the authorities for the relief of the sick and disabled seamen; and further authorized the Secretary to sell the hospital at Burlington, Iowa, or to retain the title and use it for the relief of sick and wounded soldiers of the United States, or to discharge all the officers and servants of the Government connected with it, and to close the hospital, should he deem it more expedient. Owing to the damages inflicted on American shipping during the war, many American ves sels were transferred and sold abroad. This affected the receipts from the marine hospital tax to a considerable extent. In order to guard against this loss, it was enacted by Congress, April 29, 1864, that, in case of the sale or transfer of any vessel of the United States in a foreign port, the consul or other agent of the United States should collect from the master or owner of the vessel all hospital money that had become due at the time of the sale; and, in default of payment of such dues, the sale or transfer of the vessel was declared void. On June 20, 1864, the Secretary was authorized to sell the marine hospital and grounds at Chicago, and purchase a site and erect a new hospital at that place. The report of the Supervising Architect for 1864 recommends that Congress be asked for authority to sell the marine hospital property at Burlington, Vt., "as there never was any demand for a hospital at that point." The hospitals at Cincinnati, Bur lington, Vt., and Charleston, S. C., were sold by public auction during the year 1866. Attempts were also made to dispose of the marine hos pital at Ocracoke, N. C., and Napoleon, Ark but without success, the prices offered having been merely nominal. The marine hospital at Cincinnati, which cost $216,833, and which was completed in 1860, had been used during the war for the reception of wounded soldiers. Although it was nearly new, and in a most eligible situation, it was sold for $70,500. The marine hospital at Charleston, S. C., which had been nearly destroyed during the siege of that city, was sold to the Commissioners for the relief of freedmen for $9,500. Its original cost was $49,235. During the year 1867 the hospitals at Burlington, Iowa, and Evansville, Ind., and the hospital grounds at Paducah, Ky.. (the building having been destroyed by fire during the war), were sold. The marine hos pital at St. Marks, Fla., was transferred to the War Department. The site for the new marine hospital at Chicago was purchased at a cost of $10,000. The building now stands on the site then purchased, six miles from the customhouse, on a barren sand-bank, exposed to the violent winds which prevail in that region in winter. In 1868 the hospital at Napoleon,. Ark., was swept away by the river, which the Supervising Architect stated in his annual report for that year was the most favorable disposition that could have been suggested, as the property was entirely unsalable, and the building had never been needed for hospital purposes. Some of the materials of the building, however, were rescued and sold for $30. In this year the hospital at San Francisco was partially destroyed by an earthquake. The Supervising Architect, in his report to the Secretary for the year ending June 30, 1869, says: "So remarkable has been the selection hitherto of locations, that it is difficult to imagine any other motive for the erection of the buildings, in many cases, than a desire to expend money in the locality in which the buildings were located." In this year Dr. W. D. Stewart, who had served during the war as a surgeon of volunteers, was appointed an Inspector of Marine Hospitals for the Treasury Departinent; and later Dr. Billings of the army was associated with him in this work, in which he subsequently succeeded him. In accordance with the report of these officers, the Secretary of the Treasury recommended the sale of the marine hospital building and grounds at New Orleans, and the purchase from the War Department of the Sedgwick Military Hospital. Mr. Mullett says of the hospital at New Orleans: The plans were prepared in 1855 and 1856, and contemplated the erection of a brick structure; but parties interested in the iron trade were permitted to prepare plans for an iron building, which were adopted. During the progress of construction it was thought necessary that the iron walls should be backed with some non-conducting material, and a large amount of money was expended in backing them with unburned clay or adobe. The experiment proved a total failure, and it was finally decided to back the exterior of the walls with brick, as well as make the interior partition of the same material. This portion of the work was not completed. The roof is of galvanized iron, in bad condition, and practically worthless. The building consists of a central structure 130 feet by 62, three stories high, with two wings, 183 by 63 feet, two stories high, the three being connected by verandas. This building was occupied as a barracks during the war, and was temporarily transferred to the Freedmen's Bureau for a hospital in 1865. One wing is now occupied as a hospital for the pauper insane of Louisiana, by permission of the Department, it having never been used as a marine hospital. The following letter from Mr. N. B. Devereaux, Chief of the Office of the Revenue, Marine Division, to the Hon. William B. Kelsey, of the Committee on Appropriations, shows the condition of the marine hospital fund on April 20, 1870: The hospital expenses are about $40,000 per month, say the sum in a year of $475,000; to meet which we have a revenue from seamen of $175,000, leaving a deficit of $300,000. We had an appropriation last session of $100,000, leaving the sum of $200,000 to be met by another appropriation, which we now require to carry us through the present fiscal year ending June 80, 1870. We need at this moment $120,000 to pay bills already due, and claims in office; and $80,000 more will meet the expenses for the next two months, May and June. This is the exact state of the case. In 1870 the Secretary of the Treasury reported, in answer to a resolution of the House, that the hospital at Mobile was going to ruin that it would cost $15,000 to $20,000 to repair it; and he recommends discontinuing the hospital, and sending the patients to New Orleans. In this year Secretary Boutwell renewed the recommendation which had been made in 1836 by the Hon. Levi Woodbury, then Secretary, for the establishment of a marine hospital at New York, as follows: TREASURY DEPARTMENT, January 17, 1870. SIR: The Department, regarding it highly essential that the port of New York should be provided with a marine hospital, has made a request of the War Department that the buildings on David's Island, East River, formerly an army hospital, but not now required, be purchased by the Treasury Department for marine hospital purposes. It is desired that David's Island be transferred to this Department, and the sanction of Congress is requested, together with an appropriation of $10,000, to purchase the building at the appraised valuation of $6,000, and the balance of $4,000 to put the hospital in proper condition for service. The locality of David's Island is a very superior one for the purposes named, and the Department will be afforded an excellent opportunity of establishing a hospital at this great commercial point, for a moderate expenditure. David's Island being twelve miles from the city, this recommendation was opposed by the shipping interests, and was never carried into effect. The In this year, January 31, 1870, a bill for the reorganization of the service was transmitted by Secretary Boutwell to the House. essential changes proposed by this bill had been already foreshadowed in the EdwardsLoring report, heretofore alluded to. This bill for the first time provided for a systematic national service, and the regulations which were subsequently made in accordance with it provided for the examination of medical officers. Prior to the adoption of these regulations there was no limit to the number of employees that might be borne on the pay-rolls of the hospitals, and in many instances the number of attendants far exceeded that of patients. The act, approved June 29, 1870, provided in section 1 that the hospital dues should be increased to the sum of 40 cents per month. Sections 2, 3, 4, and 5 were simply reenactments of previous laws which had fallen into disuse from lack of enforcement. Section 6 authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to appoint a surgeon to act as Supervising Surgeon of the Marine Hospital Service, whose duty it was, under the direction of the Secretary, to supervise all matters connected with that service, and with the disbursement of the fund. It also provided that the word "vessel " should be held to include every description of water-craft, raft, vehicle, and contrivance used, or capable of being used, as a means or auxiliDr. John M. Woodworth ary on or by water. of Illinois; who had served with distinction during the war, was appointed to the office of Supervising Surgeon, March 23, 1871. By the act of June 10, 1872, Congress placed its disapprobation on the "contract system," by providing that no part of the sum then appropriated should be used for the support of seamen in contract hospitals. The act of March 3, 1875, directed the Secretary of the Treasury to collect the tax by a schedule based on the difference in rig, tonnage, and kind of traffic; and by an act of the same date, the title of the "Supervising Surgeon" was changed to Supervising SurgeonGeneral, and the appointment was directed to be made by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The operations of the service since 1871 have been published in the reports for the years 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1876-'77, and 1878-79. The first board for the examination of medical officers was convened in accordance with the regulations of 1873, since which time no appointments have been made to the service except such as have passed a thorough and rigid examination into their professional qualifications. Since the reorganization of the service all useless hospitals have been discontinued; the hospitals at San Francisco and Chicago have been completed; a system of dispensary or out-patient relief has been inaugurated; and all medicines are purchased in bulk by the Medical Purveyor, who makes such purchases only after a thorough examination into their quality, and they are then distributed to the various hospitals. The number of seamen in the United States contributing to this service is estimated at 170,000. The number of patients actually treated during the year ended June 30, 1879, was 20,922. The offices of the hospitals are, whenever practicable, at the custom-houses at the different ports, and seamen requiring prescriptions only, who are not sick enough to require being sent to hospital, are furnished medicines at these offices as 1879. principal ports. 10, viously; but the leading daily papers of the country republished the circular with general approbation. This has lately been extended by the action of the Board of Supervising Inspectors of the Steamboat Inspection Service,. in adopting new pilot rules, which require that no pilot shall be allowed to take out a license until he shall produce a certificate of examina tion from a medical officer of the Marine Hospital Service that he suffers from no defect of vision. In August, 1879, the hospital was opened on Bedloe's Island, New York Harbor, the mili tary having evacuated it; and while this volume is in press (1880), a steam ambulance is being constructed, to ply between the Battery and the island, and elsewhere about the harbor, on receiving the proper signal from any American vessel in port. The officers of this service consist of a Supervising Surgeon-General, Medical Purveyor, surgeons, passed assistant surgeons, and assistant surgeons. These are designated medical offcers. At ports where the service is not large enough to warrant the assignment of a regular medical officer, a private physician is designat ed as acting assistant surgeon, to act instead of a medical officer. Dr. Woodworth, the first Supervising Surgeon-General, having died March 14, 1879, the writer, at that time a surgeon, was promoted to fill the vacancy. It is gratifying to add that the growing importance of this service is meeting with the attention its object and character demand at the hands of Congress and commercial interests throughout the country. JOHN B. HAMILTON, Supervising Surgeon-General. was born in Con Marine Hospital Service, was taken up, and a SHERMAN, JOHN, Secretary of the Treasury, born in Lancaster, Ohio, May 10, 1829. His paternal ancestors came from Essex, Eng land, in the early days of the colonies, and settled in Massachusetts and Connecticut. His grandfather, Taylor Sherman, necticut. 000 seamen were treated as out-patients in Jurist, he received a seat on the bench, endAn accomplished scholar and able Ambulances are furnished at all the married Elizabeth Stoddard, a lineal descendant of Anthony Stoddard, who emigrated from In June, 1879, the subject of physical ex- England to Boston in 1639. Charles Robert, amination of seamen, which had been agitated their son (the father of John Sherman), was and Drs. Woodworth and Bailhache of the his father, and was admitted to the bar in 1810. The same year he married Mary Hoyt of Norcircular was issued by the writer, with the walk, and removed to Lancaster, Ohio. In Ivided that on the application of the master, Court of that State. His written opinions, pubapproval of Secretary Sherman, which pro- 1823 he was elected Judge of the Supreme owner, or agent of any vessel of the United lished in Hammond's "Reports of the Supreme Court of Ohio," have since been respected by ing to ship on board any such vessel, in order of the highest authority. He died suddenly, quired to examine physically any person desir- the bar and courts of Ohio and other States as to determine his seaworthiness. Although the June 24, 1829, leaving a widow with eleven States the marine hospital surgeons were re subject had been under discussion for some time, yet the idea that such examinations could children. Her means being limited, friends came to her assistance, and took charge of the be made popular without a compulsory law oldest children. Thomas Ewing, a neighbor seems not to have occurred to any one pre- and friend, adopted the third son, William |