New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-12-04
NETWORK DAILY TRIBUNE, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER d. 1861.

your letter of this date have the honor 20 report
that during the iiscal year ending June 80, 1861,
there was adjusted in this Office and transmitted 70
the First Controller Of the Treasury for bis revision,
.395 accounts of the varions kinds by law referred
TO this office for adjustment and during the same
year the number Of letters written In relation TO
these accounts, and the business OF the Office amount
cd TO 3, l0l.
Appended to this report are four statements marked
respectively A, Is, G and ID.
Statement A exhibits the amount of salaries paid
70 each OF the Consular officers, mentioned in
schedules B and G of the act of August IL, 1876:
"To regul8te the diplomatic and consular systems
OF the United States" for the year ending Dec. 81,
1860
Statement A also shows the loss by exchange Of
the United States in paying consular salaries
These several items sum mp as follows:
Salaries Of l2j Consular oAices..........S2 s07f 10
Los IN exchange Ia payment thereof..... $500 %
TotaL.......................... S2s95lJ q
Fees received by Consular ofliees........ Bis 20
Le,ving a. eli.rge upon the Treasury. tl6O,40 "a
regret to be Obliged TO state that some OF our
Consulates seem 10 have been exposed to eonaider-
able REGULATIONS from Our own agents and officers.
Although these officers are required by law to
reyor, quarterly, found on entering on the duties
OF this Office that the lat salary IeporS of the Consul
OF % important q post az Liverpool was made
March 81. 1888, and that the Consul then acknowl-
edged Lalance In his hands % $2,g@J o. Since
then he had strangely been allowed 10 hold on with
out reporting spending all the funds lie could reach
negecing the payment of all claims for food, cloth
ins and medical attendance Of our sick and destitute
scamen, and by a course of liunder and protlSaey
unequaied in our history, contracting pubhc ana
private debts, which, | Am assured By nelghbOrlpg
CcBsu probably exceed S2OO,OOO IL IL, perhaps,
some consolation to reflect that this piunderer no
logger disgraces The Government abroad, but, Ike
the late Minister TO Spain, who, Of all our foreiS n
Ministers manifested the greatest affection for extra
allowances, hes found a kindred and cougenial
association in the ranks of the rebel conspiracy IL
is however, proper to remark that reports were
made from this office 10 the proper authorizes of the
dcnquencies Oh the Consul TO Liverpool, without
producing any decided action.
Some of the consulates on the Pacific Coast and
Islands need investigation and reform. Ia four OF
these the disbursements for the relief of seamen
during the year embraced in the last report from this
Office exceeded $4,000. and were about SS,oOJ
more than the disbursements Of all our other consul
latee during the same year. In my judgment the
appointment of efficient Consul General for the
Ilands and Coast Of the Pacific with salary OF
$i,OOO or 5000 would by stopping tue wholesale
robbery prictieed under the color Of our humane
provisions for the sick and disabled seanei. save
to the treasury ten times the amount Il would coat
By the experience ana assistance of my chief
clerk we have made some dillio-.i, in this class
of expenditure dunn" ,oe psst year reducing the
gross 80. lrom s22O, go 80 to SlHl3S II ana
sayng TO the treasury 49, 932 Is but we nave peen
nnahle to reach the root of the difficulty. In these
distant consulates there are both temptations and
facilities for procuring delicious vouchers and me
correctness OF paper on the face Is geperay ~ exact
proportion to the enormity Of the frauds tbey cover
Nothing short of the supervision OF On officer OF
oapacity and competent authority viii be able 70
effect the necessary reform. When by proper safe
guards our Consuls shall be relieved from all tempta'
ton TO deyise ways and meane to reach the Treasury
by fraudulent vouchers they will have more time TO
attend TO their legitimate duties. aud we shall have
reason to expect that the real wants of our sick and
destitute seamen will lie better supplied and the re-
ceipts for seamens wages will be Increased.
The other statements hereto appended are OF tho
usual kind, and have no peculiar charac erlsucs'
have tho honor 20 be- your oo.dent servant
JOHN c. UNDERWOOD, Auditor
Hon. g. p. CHAss Secretary Of the IressnTy