The plan of exhibiting as widely as possible in the agricultural districts throughout the United States, the results of the daily office studies, in the form of printed forecasts, for the benefit of the agricultural populations, frequently described in former reports, has been continued in operation. The railway bulletin service has been increased during the year, and continues to give satisfaction as a rapid means of disseminating the Indications issued from the office. Ninety-three companies, with a total of two thousand nine hundred and thirty-seven stations, are now cooperating in this service. Storm signals are displayed, when necessary, at 116 ports. During the past year stations of observation on the habits and ravages of the Rocky Mountain locusts or grasshoppers were established by the Chief Signal Officer in those sections which the experience of past years has shown to be most exposed to the ravages of these pests. It is gratifying to state that not a single report of the ravages of locusts was received. Attention is earnestly invited to the remarks of the Chief Signal Officer upon the subject of a permanent organization, to obviate the neces sity of calling for details of officers from regiments. The work done by him undoubtedly requires the assistance of a number of officers in addition to the scientific staff of civilians. Officers of the Engineer and Ordnance Corps cannot properly be detailed on such duty, not only for the reason that their actual services in their own departments are constantly required, but because it would be an act of injustice to take them away from duties and studies of a very technical character, proficiency in which is a condition precedent to promotion. The taking of officers from the line of the Army is now the only course left, but this is objectionable, as the officer is nearly always detailed in opposition to the wishes of his commanding officers; the detail removes him from his proper military duties, imposes an undue share of company and regimental duty upon his brother officers remaining with the troops, and, at last, if the officer's services are valuable, results in conflicting claims for his return and his retention, always annoying, and sometimes difficult to decide. It will be seen from the elaborate and interesting report of the Chief Signal Officer that the work of the Weather Bureau is highly scientific and wholly unmilitary, and that it depends for its value upon constant observations made at many stations, and continuous records of those observations. Any interruption, however short, at any station, makes a gap in the complete records, upon whose perfection rests the accuracy of calculated results. This work occupies all the time of the force under the Chief Signal Officer, detailed officers, civilian employés, and enlisted men, and would require an equal force under a permanent organization; and the detachment of any of them for signal duty in the field in time of war would cause a great and lasting injury, if no destruction, to the Weather Bureau Service. As it is not supposed that Congress intends to make its success or its existence contingent upon the happening of a war, and as the Army is maintained with the purpose of being prepared for war, it is earnestly recommended by me that in any permanent organization there shall be a clear and permanent separation of the force of officers and men engaged under the Chief Signal Officer in the work of the Weather Bureau from the force of officers and men who are to be available in time of war for service in the field in the performance of signal duties. THE MILITARY ACADEMY. The annual report of the superintendent shows a satisfactory state of discipline. The report of the Board of Visitors to the Military Academy is herewith submitted, and attention is invited to its recommendations. It is gratifying that the board is of opinion that there has never been at the Academy a more competent academic board than at present. The board renews the recommendation for an appropriation for the construction of a bath-house, swimming-tank, and the necessary heating apparatus, in which I concur. The only available place for bathing and swimming is very dangerous, and the want of a proper provision has cost several lives. The necessary expenditure would not be large, and would be of great benefit. Attention is especially invited to the views of the Board of Visitors on the subject of the standard of acquirements necessary for admission to the Academy, which is properly to be considered in connection with the length of the course after admission. I concur in the views of my predecessor that it would not be well to raise the standard of admis sion. The result of the last examination, in which 49 out of 118 candidates were rejected, shows that the standard is already so high as to prevent the admission of many who would, undoubtedly, if they had been so situated as to receive proper preliminary training, prove valuable officers. It has recently been recommended to me by the academic board to permit the discontinuance of certain prescribed studies in the course, for the purpose of giving time for others the importance of which was apparent. A consideration of the subject suggested by this recommendation leads me to the belief that it would be best to extend the course so as to cover five years. It is believed that by so doing, not only would the benefits of the Academy be more widely extended, but that the graduates would be prepared to render better service to the country. The existing laws provide for 312 cadets, and that from and after July 1 next all graduates for whom there do not exist vacancies in the Army on the 1st day of July in each year shall be discharged. No provision is made for a reduction in the number of those to be instructed, and it is probably the sense of Congress that the expense of educating the number authorized by law, even if some of them never enter the Regular Army, is well repaid by their availability in time of need as officers of Volunteers, or of an increased regular force. If the full number authorized by law is educated at the Academy, no additional annual expense is incurred by keeping the cadets through a five years' course, and it is not unlikely that the decrease in the average number of annual graduates (one-fifth of the whole number being graduated each year, instead of one-fourth) would be so much affected by a decrease in the percentage of rejections and of dismissals for deficiency, that the graduates from the Academy would more nearly equal the annual casualties in the Army than is now the case. During the decade ending June, 1880, of nearly 750 appointments to the grade of second lieutenant in the Army, only about two-thirds were graduates of the Military Academy, so that under the present system less than two-thirds of the number of cadets possible, and provided for under the law, are graduated. From such consideration as I have been able to give the subject, I believe that this large deficiency is mainly owing to the compression of an undue amount of work into a term of four years, causing not only many failures by the way, but necessitating an exceedingly rigid preliminary examination. In a course of five years, not only would more time be given for the necessary studies, but a part of the first year could be considered as a period of probation, avoiding the necessity of a very severe preliminary examination, and better enabling the academic board to form a just idea of the general fitness of the young cadet to grapple with the higher studies. EDUCATION IN THE ARMY. Chaplain Mullins, the officer now in charge of this work, reports that at the various schools at military posts now in operation there is an average attendance of 912 enlisted men and 1,390 children of officers, enlisted men, and civilians. He calls attention to the difficulty of finding competent teachers among the enlisted men, and the interruptions caused by their military duties, none of which are omitted. I approve his recommendation for statutory authority for the enlistment of 150 competent men to be rated as schoolmasters, with the rank and pay of commissary sergeant. The reading-rooms established at most of the posts are very popular with enlisted men as well as officers. The average daily attendance upon them is about 4,800. THE SOLDIERS' HOME. The report of the Board of Commissioners of the Soldiers' Home shows that 550 members were receiving the benefits of the Home on Septem30, 1880. During the year 318 permanent and temporary members were admitted; 46 members died; 197 were dropped, voluntarily and otherwise; leaving 588 members on September 30, 1881. The board call attention to the evil effect of the unrestrained use of money by some members who are also in receipt of pensions. GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANE. The following is the number of persons admitted into the above-named institution, under orders of the Secretary of War, from October 1, 1880, to October 1, 1881: Regular Army Commissioned officers Commissioned officers (retired) Enlisted men ...:. Enlisted men (late of the Army).. Late volunteer service Commissioned officers Enlisted men.... Hospital matrons attached to the Army Inmates of the United States Soldiers' Home Military prisoners.. Employés of the Quartermaster's Department, U. S. Army 3 1 35 1 2 1 Total 57 RECORDS OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION. The publication of these records is proceeding as rapidly as is consistent with accurate preparation. Two volumes have been published, and ten volumes have been made ready for the printer, seven being in his hands in various stages of preparation. Many contributions by gift or loan have been added during the year to the files of Confederate documents. BUILDING FOR STATE, WAR, AND NAVY DEPARTMENTS. The construction of this building, for the accommodation of the State, War, and Navy Departments, was confined, during the year, to the north wing, exclusively, and the walls of this wing were completed to the roof, of which the greater part of the iron-work is in place. This wing forms one of the portions of the building to be used by the War Department, at present crowded, with some of its records, into a part of the wing allotted to the Navy Department. An appropriation of $100,000 for the completion of the north wing is recommended. I also ask the favorable consideration of Congress upon the application for $450,000, included in the annual estimates of this department, to begin the erection of the west wing and the center wing of the building. The present isolation of some of the most important bureaus is not only inconvenient, but many of the outside buildings in use do not afford adequate security to the public records. It is of the greatest importance that these records should be placed beyond the danger of destruction by fire at the earliest possible moment, and their safety cannot be assured until the new building is completed. IMPROVEMENT OF THE SOUTH PASS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. The last annual report from this department brought the history of this work to August 9, 1880, when there had been from July 8, 1879, a full year's maintenance of the channel required by law, after excluding days of non-maintenance, all of which occurred in the first two quarters. Uninterrupted maintenance was continued for the two quarters ending February 9, 1881. The engineer's certificate for the succeeding quarter showed that there was full maintenance, excepting through the pass itself, in which, as measured from the plane of the estal lished gauge-mark, there was a slight failure for a distance of 240 feet; but during the time in question the stage of the river was such as to make its actual level, at low tide, 1.2 feet higher than the established low-water mark, so that the required channel was in fact maintained during the quarter. The facts being submitted by me to the Attorney-General for his opinion as to whether Mr. Eads was entitled to payment for maintenance during the quarter ending May 9, 1881, he answered in the affirmative, and payment was made accordingly. The next quarter extended to include August 13, 1881, four days being excluded in computation on account of the channel being in that time reduced to 110 feet in width at one point and given the required width by dredging. Four quarterly payments of $25,000 each for maintenance, and two semi-annual payments of $25,000 each for interest on the $1,000,000 retained, have accordingly been made to Mr. Eads. The total expenditures of the government up to this time, on account of this improvement, are $4,550,000. It will be seen that there has been a substantial maintenance of the prescribed channel during the eighteen months last past, with a loss of only four days, and that the remarks in my predecessor's report concerning the permanency of this work are confirmed, to a large extent, by the results obtained during the second year of successful operation of this remarkable improvement. THE FREE BRIDGE AT GEORGETOWN. The difficulties met in attempting to carry out the provisions of the act of February 23, 1881, providing for a free bridge on the Potomac River, at or near Georgetown, have prevented much progress. The act forbids the incurring of any expense whatever for an entirely new bridge until a contract for its erection, at a cost not exceeding the prescribed limit of $140,000, shall have been made. There are, therefore, no funds to pay for preliminary surveys or for specifications on which |