The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-01-19
Clerical Error.


II will be perceived. by the report OF the acting Secre
tary of the Treasury which publish this evening,
that clerical error has been made by the clerk who pre-
pares the financial statement for the Secretary, and the
tables upon which it is based. This gentleman (Nr.
Barclay has prepared these statements for very long
period, and during many administrations, and has
never before committed any error and is proverola
in the Treasury for his accuracy. 1t will be per
ceived that the tables prepared by him are all cor
rect. but that the is in his failing carry the sum
omitted into the financial statement prepared by him from
the table referred to in the report How this mistake was
made by Mr. Barclay, is detailed by himself in his letter
accompanying the report; and the discovered
by himself, and Immediately reported by him TO the de
parment In every other respect the tables and the re-
port perfectly correct and accurate
1t must be remembered that the sum omitted in the
financial statement by Mr.. Barclay was actually
ported by the Secretary in the report containing that
statement, and distinctly referred 10 in the table an
nexed to and accompanying the report Congress was
therefore, truly informed of the exact state of the
case, and would have discovered the omitted sum as
soon as the report and tables published This omls
caused by the failure of Mr. Barclay, carry
the from the tables into the financial statement
which precedes the report of the Secretary, and which,
though the first in order, is the last prepared
This financial statement is always prepared in this
way, by Mr. Barclay, viz: by filling up the columns in
figures, under the proper heads OF the several general
items of actual receipts and actual expenditures taken
by him from the tables in detail, certified by the
Register The columns to mere estimates of uncer
tain accrung being given by the Secretary to
Mr. Barclay; and these properly inserted. and there
fore the Secretary has omitted nothing; but the is
in the omission on the part of Mr.. Barclay carry
of the of the actual receipts from his tables, certified
by the Register, into the financial statement for the Sec
rotary and the Secretary get his financial statement
in no other Manner and possible attach
him in this case although the Secretary extremely
WELL and under medical treatment at the time he instituted
the proper comparisons of the financial statement with the
abes-,he Secretary holding the financial statements in
his hands, whilst the tables for the Senate and the House
were held by the clerks for comparison The Secretary
then read the financial statement, and the figures in
the statement were declared correspond by the clerks
but when the Secretary having passed. in the reading Of
the financial statement through the items OF that state
ment for lands CUSTOMS and miscellaneous receipts being
for the whole year, and for those ITEMS and read the next
item in the financial statement, 'from avas OF treasury
notes and loans the clerks, without the Sec
rotary observing it, and without any intentional error on
their part took up table G, which contains th, identical
sum in the words and figures quoted and the reading the
Secretary was declared correct and the statement to cor
respond with the tables AT this special comparison MIR
Barclay would have been required to be presents and If
So in all human probability had he held the tables whilst
the Secretary read the financial statement the omission
made by Mr.. Barclay would have been discovered by
him but he, having been down by many days and
nights of ncessant labor, was unavodably absent
It'll, matter of sincere congratulation that every pre-
caution was used by the Secretary that the omission in
the financial statement supplied in the tables accom-
panyng the report and that the thus omitted places
the treasury in much favorable position, and gives
it more means than supposed by the most ardent
friends of the administration.
The Secretary being still confined by illness, the act
ing Secretary has adopted in his report on this subject to
Congress- the mode of correction pursued by previous
Secretaries one of the precedens for which will be found
in the report we publish below of Mr. Secretary Ewing
Treasury DEPARTMENT June 80, 1871
Sn In the communication from this department., dated
18th instant in compliance with the resolution OF the
Senate directing the Secretary of the Treasury to lay
before the Senate statement OF the amounts OF money
received in each of the months of March, April, and May
last from customs lands, and other sources, &c, have
to state clerical occurred which, in the hurry
business escaped my notice, and which take the ear
Hest opportunity to correct.
Certain payments made by the Bank of the United States,
on account Of the War Department, in the west in
s4O not having entered in the books of this depart
until March, lSl, should have been included in the
receipts of that month. This inadvertently omitted to
be DONE although the included in the expen-
dtures for month. With this correction the amount
received in March, 1884, will be 81 7093s A. instead of
81 100000 stated in the communication above referred
have the honor remain. your obedient servant,
T. EWING,
Secretary of the Treasury
The Hon THE PRESIDENT THE SENATE.
Treasury DEPARTMENT, Jan. 10, lSis
SIR In the report of this Departmental the two houses
of Congress of the sh of December last single clerical
error was committed, by emitting to carry into the nan
ca statement which precedes the rest of the report
sum contained in the table B. referred to in said financial