The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-01-09


OF the 9th inst which, although anonymous, appears
qure some notice from Whatever othem may think
of the manner Ia which my official duties performed
Is matter OF little consequence 10 me- 30 long
Joy the confidence of those 10 whom am responsible
and feel consciousness of having discharged those du
ties faithfully and honestly and If In their perform
ance, shall feel compelled TO disclose facts which may
be unpalaable TO some, although it will be OF
regret 10 me, shall not be deferred by the of giving
offence 10 any one
The writer of the article referred TO- after introducing
other subjects of printing about which he knows moth
ing, comes 10 the burden of his oonnunicaon-beins
tue facts connected with THE delay in the printing of the
Agricultural Patent Once Report for 1851, many Of which
the author of the communication Qor there is mis-
taking ts paternity 10 have forgotten, wlfulIy
attempts TO misrepresent This document il will he
borne in mind communicated 10 Congress the
l4th day OF May, 1853 four and half months after the
expiration of the year for which it is called the report
sufficient length OF time, it might be supposed 10 pre-
pare document OF this Gharaeter-and ordered TO
he printed the first bound copies not received at
this Office until the 10th day of December follownga
period of monthswhilst thirty days is considered
sufficient length OF time for the printing of work Of
that size and character
AS frequent complaints had been made on account of
the nonappearance of this report in proper time OF
corse directed against the public printers and this Of
hce each of whom using all the means In his
power TO bring out at the earliest practicable period
ii deemed by to be due both to Congress and to
this office to state in my annual report briefly the
of the delay This is the cause OF offence and when al
the facts known, which but briefly alluded to in
my annual report am very much mistaken If the pub
c at least that portion of the public who feel n
teres in the matter, will not agree with me that the
necessary delay in the printing of this report has been
caused alone by the clerk in the Patent Office having
charge of the preparation of The materials for it.
On the 18th Of May 1885, the Speaker laid before the
House of Representatives "A letter from the Commits
sioner of Patents, transmitting the agricultural portion
Of his annual report which was laid on the table and
ordered to be printed" Mr. d. Jay Browne tho clerk
In the Patent Office who il understood to have charge
of than a1IpI and hat
the manuscript incomplete and requested
sultaton to the best mode of having time allowed for
Its completion for the printer my instructions being
to have all communications to either house of Congress
printed without alteration addition except specifically
directed to the contrary. The request Of Mr. Browne
granted and the result the following resolution
prepared in this office with his full knowledge and APP
probation, which was adopted by the House OF Repre-
sentatives the 10th of May and by the Senate with
modification as to the number of copies) the Sd Of
June
Resoiued That there be printed for the use of the
House of Representatives two hundred thousand extra
copies flor the Senate thirty housandl OF the report of
the Commissioners Of Patents ON agriculture for the year
1857 and ten thousand copies for the of the Patent
Office Proeidod That the aggregate number Of pages
contained in said report shall not exceed five hundred
and eight including ten pages of illustrations
wood Iad proclea further That the entire amount Of
copy necessary to complete said report be placed in the
hands OF the Superintendent of the Public Printing
before the 3lst day of August next
This resolution gave to Mr.. Browne all the time he
asked for and it expressly agreed by him that he
would forward TO this Office from time to time, they
might be prepared portions of the copy for printing,
that the 3st day Of August but little would remain
to be printed and thus the work would be completed at
early day thereafter In pursuance of this arrange
ment separate parts Of the report were brought TO
this Office by Mr. Browne and Me paying Of each fat fired
by him, which received by and placed in the
printers hands, with the distinct and unmistakable
promise that he would prepare the residue to fill
the gaps thus created by himself in such to
10 q was mise
which induced me to forcgo my determination not to
ceve any of the copy unless it furnished in consecu
tive pages from beginning to end When the time
rived for the completion OF the copy, Professor Henry
called at this Office with OF manuscript which he
stated intended, in whole in part Cor the report
and which discovered not properly arranged for
printing with the portion already printed then learned
that Mr.. Browne out of the city, and in
formed by the foreman of the printing office Mr. Eng
sh) that he had received information either from Mr.
Browne the Patent Office that the wrony copy had been
sent, and nsructing him to suspend the work until Mr.
b returned There seemed to me to be alternative
but to await the movements of Mr. b. made no 'eurt
to arrange the matter of the report and to adapt to
the malposition he II had occasioned, known
known to the Patent Office, as is falsely nmatcd The
arrangement made by Mr.. Browne himself who,
after the failure of all his PROMISES permitted to have
pretty much his way, in order to get any report at
ALL restricting him only to the number of pages speci
fled in the resolutions of the two houses of Congress
The following correspondence will fully explain the
of the delay in printing the report after it
placed in the printer hands
OFFIcE SUPERINTENDENT PUBLIC PRINTING,
Washington, January 7, 1859
DEAR SIR: On the first day of September last you
forwarded from this office package of manuscript which
was Tor purported To bel the concluding portion of the
copy for the Agricultural Patent Office Report for 1857
You at the time requested to have this work
printed with the utmost despatch As it WAS not put to
press, in full until about the goth of October will
thank you inform of the that produced this
delay
Yours, respectfully, GEO W. BOWMAN,
Superintendent.
JAMES ENeLrsu, Esq, Foreman, SC.
WENDELLs 0FFicE January Z, 1859.
DEAR SIR In reply to yours of this morning, request
ing to Uniform you of the of delay in printing
the Agricultural Report for 1S57'I respectfully state
copy fill up the gaps and the detention Of the revised
proofs at the Patent Office.
Respectfully, yours &c, j. ENGLISH,
Foreman for G Wen ell
Gen. G. w. BowMAN.
Another cause of delay arose in procuring the usra
tions authorized by law. After the Arrangement was
made by which it expected that the entire
script would be in the printer hands by the LIST of Sep
tember contract entered into by this Office with
practical workman for the wood engravngs and the time
allowed him for their completion until the LIST of DC
tober, the time at which IL expected the printer
would be ready for them. This time subsequently
extended the 18TH for the that the
unfinished These engravogs, this Office was in
formed by Mr. Browne all TO have been drawn upon
the blocks the engraver, and thus furnished to him
but they were not 40 done. When finished three of
the engravings were oh ed TO by Mr. Browne not