DEPARTMENTS OF GOVERNMENT.

I.-EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT.

THE PRESIDENT is the chief executive officer of the United States, and his duties are defined by the constitution.

THE CABINET, who hold their offices at the will of the president, are composed of the secretaries of state, the treasury, interior, war and navy; postmaster general and attorney general.

II.-DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE is aided by two assistant secretaries and a chief clerk; the latter, as his title imports, supervises the labors of all the clerks of the department.

THE DIPLOMATIC BRANCH has charge of all correspondence between the department and other diplomatic agents of the United States abroad, and those of foreign powers accredited to this govern

ment.

THE CONSULAR BRANCH has charge of all correspondence, etc., between the department and the consuls and commercial agents of the United States.

THE DISBURSING AGENT has charge of all matters connected with accounts relating to any fund disbursed by the department.

THE TRANSLATOR furnishes such translations as the department may require, and records the commissions of consuls and vice-consuls, when not in English, upon which exequaturs are issued.

THE CLERK OF APPOINTMENTS AND COMMISSIONS makes out and records commissions, letters of appointment, nominations to the senate, exequaturs, and records, when in English, the commission on which they are issued, and has charge of the library.

THE CLERK OF ROLLS AND ARCHIVES takes charge of the enrolled acts and resolutions of congress as they are received from the president; prepares authenticated copies thereof; superintends their publication, and that of treaties; attends to their distribution, and that of all documents and publications in regard to which this duty is assigned to the department; writing and answering all letters connected therewith; has charge of all Indian treaties, and business relating thereto.

THE CLERK OF AUTHENTICATIONS has charge of the seals of the United States and the department, and prepares and attaches certificates to papers presented for authentication; receives and accounts for the fees; records all letters from the department, other than diplomatic and consular.

THE CLERK OF PARDONS AND PASSPORTS prepares and records pardons and remissions; and registers and files the papers on which they are founded, and makes out and records passports.

THE BUREAU OF EMIGRATION, recently established, is also connect ed with the state department.

III.-TREASURY DEPARTMENT.

THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY, aided by two assistant secretaries, is charged with the general supervision of the fiscal transactions of the government, and the execution of the laws concerning commerce and navigation, the survey of the coast, the light-house establishment, the internal revenue, the currency, and loans; the marine hospitals of the United States, and the construction of certain public buildings for custom-houses and other purposes.

THE FIRST COMPTROLLER prescribes the mode of keeping and rendering accounts for the civil and diplomatic service, as well as the public lands, and revises and certifies the balances arising thereon.

THE SECOND COMPTROLLER prescribes the mode of keeping and rendering the accounts of the army, navy, and Indian departments of the public service, and revises and certifies the balances arising thereon.

THE COMMISSIONER OF THE CUSTOMS prescribes the mode of keeping and rendering the account of the customs, revenue and disbursements, and for the building and repairing of custom-houses, etc., and revises and certifies the balances arising thereon.

THR FIRST AUDITOR receives and adjusts the accounts of the customs, revenue and disbursements, appropriations and expenditures on account of the civil list and under private acts of congress, and reports the balances to the commissioner of the customs and the first comptroller, respectively, for their decision thereon.

THE SECOND AUDITOR receives and adjusts all accounts relating to the pay, clothing and recruiting of the army, as well as the armories, arsenals, and ordnance, and all accounts relating to the Indian departments, and reports the balances to the second comptroller for his decision thereon.

THE THIRD AUDITOR receives and adjusts all accounts for subsistence of the army, fortifications, military academy, military roads, and the quartermaster's department, pension claims arising from military services previous to 1816, and for horses and other property lost in the military service, and reports the balances to the second comptroller for his decision thereon.

THE FOURTH AUDITOR adjusts all accounts for the service of the navy department, and reports the balances to the second comptroller for his decision thereon.

THE FIFTH AUDITOR adjusts all accounts for diplomatic and similar services performed under the direction of the state department, and reports the balances to the first comptroller for his decision thereon.

THE SIXTH AUDITOR adjusts all accounts arising from the service of the post office department. His decisions are final, unless an appeal be taken in twelve months to the first comptroller. He superintends the collection of all debts due the post office department, and all penalties imposed on postmasters and mail contractors for failing to do their duty; he directs suits and legal proceedings, civil and criminal, and takes legal measures to enforce the prompt payment of moneys due to the department; instructing attorneys, marshals, and clerks relative thereto; and receives returns from each term of the United States courts of the condition and progress of such suits and legal proceedings; has charge of all lands and other property assigned to the United States in payment of debt due the post office department, and has power to sell and dispose of the same for the benefit of the United States.

THE TREASURER receives and keeps the moneys of the United States in his own office and that of the depositories, and pays out the same upon warrants drawn by the secretary of the treasury, countersigned by the first comptroller, and upon warrants drawn by the postmaster-general, and countersigned by the sixth auditor, and recorded by the register. He also holds public moneys advanced by warrant to disbursing officers, and pays out the same upon their checks.

THE REGISTER keeps the accounts of public receipts and expenditures; receives the returns and makes out the official statement of commerce and navigation of the United States; and receives from the first comptroller and commissioner of customs all accounts and vouchers decided by them, and is charged by law with their safe keeping.

THE SOLICITOR Superintends all civil suits commenced by the United States (except those arising in the post office department,) and instructs the United States attorneys, marshals and clerks in all matters relating to them and their results. He receives returns from. each term of the United States courts, showing the progress and condition of such suits has charge of all lands and other property assigned to the United States in payment of debts (except those assigned in payment of debts due the post office department,) and has power to sell and dispose of the same for the benefit of the United States.

COMMISSIONER OF REVENUE.-This is a new office, created by act of congress, approved July, 1, 1862. "The commissioner is charged, under the direction of the secretary of the treasury, with preparing

all the instructions, regulations, directions, forms, blanks, stamps and licenses, and distributing the same, or any part thereof, and all other matters pertaining to the assessment and collection of the duties, stamp duties, licenses and taxes which may be necessary to carry this act into effect."

THE LIGHT-HOUSE BOARD.-The secretary of the treasury is exofficio president of this board. Has charge of maintenance and support of all the light-houses, light-vessels, buoys, etc., directs building, repairing, etc., of the same; procures supplies and fixtures of all kinds required for the service.

THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE COAST SURVEY has charge of the survey of the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts and tidal waters of the United States, and the publication and distribution of charts of the same. He is also superintendent of weights and measures, having charge of the duty of constructing and distributing sets of standard weights and measures of the United States.

IV. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR.

THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR, aided by an assistant secretary, has the supervision and management of the following branches of the public service:

1st. THE PUBLIC LANDS.-Its head is the commissioner of the

general land office. The land bureau is charged with the survey, management, and sale of the public domain; the revision of Virginia military bounty-land claims, and the issuing of scrip in lieu thereof.

2d. PENSIONS.-The commissioner is charged with the examination and adjudication of all claims arising under the various and numerous laws passed by congress granting bounty-land or pensions for the military or naval service in the revolutionary and subsequent

wars..

3d. THE INDIAN OFFICE has charge of all matters connected with the Indians, superintending agencies, paying annuities, etc.

4th. THE PATENT OFFICE is charged with the performance of all "acts and things touching and respecting the granting and issuing of patents for new and useful discoveries, inventions and improvements."

The department of the interior has, beside the supervision of the accounts of the United States marshals and attorneys, the clerks of the United States courts, the management of the lead and other mines of the United States; the affairs of the penitentiary of the United States in the District of Columbia; the taking and returning of the decimal census of the United States, and of supervising and directing the acts of the commissioner of public buildings; the management of the hospital for the insane of the army and navy and of the District of Columbia, and the charge of publications

transmitted to the department under the laws relating to copyrights, records and indexes, titles, etc.; the suppression of the African slave trade; the construction of the United States capitol, and the Washington acqueduct, besides a number of lesser miscellaneous subjects of executive administration.

V.-WAR DEPARTMENT.

THE SECRETARY OF WAR, aided by two assistant secretaries, has charge of all the duties connected with the army of the United States, fortifications, etc., and the execution of the laws relating thereto, under the general direction of the president.

The following bureaus are attached to this department:

COMMANDING GENERAL'S OFFICE.-This office, at the head of which is General U. S. Grant, is at Washington, D. C., when the commander is not in the field.

ADJUTANT GENERAL'S DEPARTMENT.-In this office are kept all the records which refer to the personnel of the army, the rolls, etc. It is here where all military commissions are made out. The judge advocate general is also connected with it.

The other bureaus or departments consist of:

The quarmaster's department; subsistence department; medical department; pay department; corps of engineers, and the ordnance department. The volunteer force and the regular army are alike connected with the war department.

PROVOST MARSHAL GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES -This office, at the head of which is provost marshal general Brig. Gen. Fry, is at Washington. He has the immediate supervision, control and management of the corps.

VI.-NAVY DEPARTMENT.

THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY, aided by an assistant secretary, has charge of everything connected with the naval establishment, and the execution of laws relating thereto, under the general direction of the president. All instructions to commanders of squadrons, and commanders of vessels; all orders of officers, commissions of officers, both in the navy and marine corps; appointments of commissioned and warrant officers; orders for the enlistment and discharge of seamen, emanate from the secretary's office. All the duties of the different bureaus are performed under the authority of the secretary, and their orders are considered as emanating from him. The national observatory, at Washington, is also under the control of this department.

THE BUREAU OF NAVY YARDS AND DOCKS has charge of all the navy yards, docks and wharves, buildings and machinery in navy yards,

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