The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-01-21
Report or tho Secretary OF tho Treasury
Errors Corrected.

TREAsURY DEPARTMENT, Jan. ~, lS40.
SIR-In the report Of this department to the two
houses Of Congress of the 9Th Of December last single
clerical error committed by emitting to carry into
the financial statement which precsdes the rest Of the
report contained in the table referred to In said
financial statement, and made part thereof The omis
sion will be observed Is not in the report itself for It.
refers directly to the omitted and makes that sum,
by reference part Of the report but 1t 10 mad
vertence arising the failure of the clerk who pre-
pared this table for the Register to Garry this sum-
therein given Eto the financial statement preceding the
rest OF report Of the Secretary Of the Treasury
For long period, under many successive administra
tons this financial statement has been prepared BY the
same clerk in the Registers Office who prepares the
tables Of receipts and expenditures certified by the Re-
gster upon which the financial statement made by tho
Secretary Is founded
city gentleman Of the most exemplary character,
and clerk in this department for than forty
omission In this the omission which he had made
discovered by himself and brought by him mmedi
s to the a OF tine IN hs
satisfactorily how this omission was made by himths
gentleman being responsible to tho Secretary Of the
presented by him to the Secretary with the sums filed
up, the actual receipts, and actual expenditures
appears in that financial statement the accompany.
ing tables Of the receipts and expenditures the depart
ment would not neglect to spimsdvert upon this omis
sion by Mr. Barclay carry correctly the from the
tables to the financial statement of the department. If
his explanation In the accompanying letter had not been
is due however, to him to say that he himself first
discovered the error and made it known Immediately to
the department. with the explanation contained In his
error that it was committed BY him
Department. day and night in preparing statements to
accompany the report Of the state Of the hnances"
Barclay to make sn stronger than he has modestly
stated IL.
His abors as regards the report commenced October
last and continued unin night and day until
the sth Of December when the report sguei Dur.
ing this period Of long and unrsmtting labor both by
day and night, he has prepared mass Of tables and
financial statements In the history Of this
department 1t has heretofore been usual to bring the
state Of uanoes down only to the date Of the 3Uth Of
September the close Of the first quarter Of the
current fiscal year; but, this ocoasionthe first 1t is
believed since the organization Of the
financial statements and tables brought down the
LIST day Of December few days preceding the date Of
The table B. from which Mr. Barclay failed to trans.
fer the sum omitted, is dated the LIST Of December
and when 1t is considered, as vii appear BY refe-
to the report that, in addition to many papers
Der there are than forty Of that and Of
tho preparation of the report and especially between
tho LIST and 9Th of December when the made
be found In the report tables and that
the first known omission made by him from
his youth upwards during period Of more than forty
Of most useful arduous and abors
In the Treasury.
psrtment and of all its officers in Mr. Barclay remains
unshaken IS well regards his high moral worth and
great experience, accuracy and knowledge OF all the
1t is matter Of eongratuation in this case, that the
omission Is of credit given in table B. communicated
with the report to Congress- and which, therefore they
must have ascertainsd the report and tables
printed and laid before themthe omission being
failure by Mr. Barclay to transfer the omit
ted from the table referred to- and the
financial statement, into the corresponding column Of
that The Of tS. in
columns Of the financial statement where 1t should
have been placed would have increased the receipts and
means Of the Treasury new shown by Mr. Barclay,
and would reduce the loan asked for by the
department to sum not exceeding twelve millions of
dollars
The amount Of labor performed by the head Of tho
department, from some time in October till the sth of
well as BY the several Officers and clerks Of the Treasury
10 unprecedented In the history Of the departmentt
tempted Of the operation Of our snsnoisi system
throughout period embracing the existence Of the
oembsr preceding the date of the report During this
period from ncessant labor night and day. several Of
of n.. Int nors 20 .S tSs sSrssr bss
He attacked about the last of November, and
mained under medical treatment until the report
signed and transmitted to Congress, when by
increased Illness his physical powers became entirely
FRUSTRATED that he was compelled to renquish the
formance of his official duties, and is still unable to
sumo them This omission took place but days b.
fore the report communicated to and when
ness Ia looking at the sum omitted by Mr. Barclay it
will appear very similar to another actually insert
ed the same place in the financial statement both be-
ing (the inserted we'll the omitted from
avsls Of treasury notes and loans and both for sum
Of between six and millions Of dollars one in
psrly and the other table above stated
Inadvertently omitted; other~ise, notwithstanding the
illness Of the Secretary when he examined the financial
statement and read well the report to the
proper officers and clerks In the department, with q
eial statement and report the must have been
discovered But any discovery of the omission, either
BY the Secretary or by any or those cooperating with
him. and anxious to correct statements In
every particular was prevented partly by the confusion
arising from the great resemblance between the item
g. partly by the we'll merited confidence til unabated
in the accuracy Of Mr. Barclay well by more
than forty Of most useful abors the treasury
and partly by the illness of the Secretary himself at the
date of the final comparisons but still from the
exhaustion Of Mr. Barclay by his long continued and
abors and his absence at the date
Of the final comparison; otherwise is not doubted but
that wo%d have observed the error In bis own state
report was signed and transmitted to Congress
In looking over the course pursued by the distinguish
ment, when error committed by them In any Of
their reports the best practice to communicate It
fully and frankly at to both houses Of Congress-
and those best and examples adopted
Whilst deeply to be regretted that any was
transfer from one statement to another the sum in Dues
tion and although that omitted in the state
msnt was communicated to Congress in the accompany
ing table referred to In that statement and therefore
must hays been observed the report and ia
bles printedyst is matter of to
Der Of both houses of Congress- that the thus omit
ted to be transferred from the statement to the
other dminishes much the apparent Of
the government and enables to reduce the loan
quested to not exceeding twelve millions Of dollars
am, very respectfully, your obedent servant,
McCLINTOCK YOUNG,
kctng Secretary Of the Treasury.
To the Hon r. c. Winthrop, Speaker of the House Of
Representatives.
JANUARY IL, lsas.
SIR have the honor to state that in consequence Of
the great Of business in the Treasury Department
day and night In preparing accompany your
report the state Of the finances dated the 9th of De-
cenber last, an error unfortunately made by my
emitting to insert in the estimate of receipts and expen
dtures for the fiscal ending June 30 s4s embodied
in your report four items of receipts for treasury notes
and loans specified In tho statement B. showing the
oeips and expenditures for the quarter ending Sepem
bsr l6s7 prepared In the once Of the Register OF the
Treasury to accompany said report and which four
items amount In the aggregate to the sum OF $6957s
IL this omission had not been made, the estimated
for the fiscal year, ending 30th June s4s would
have been increased by that amount and would