Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1864-12-08

The business operations OF the Patent Once
for the year endin & September 90 last have been
very satisfactory During the period above
caveats were filed; 20 applications also were
made for the extension of patents preyIously
granted. During the same period S43 patents,
including re-iss ues and designs, were iss ued
aud 80 extensions granted. The number o. ap-
pHcations awaiting the pay msnt of the final
fee required by law before patents can be n-
sued has largely increased, mum heriug now
over IG0 0. The lHal OF h office are In a
prosperous col dition, as appears by the follow
Ing short statement:
The balance in the treasury to The credit OF
the patent fund on October 7, 1863. was s37.
732 63. The receipts of the once 70 Septamb Der
80, 1s6i, am ouned to $3.50, SIS 60. making total
sum Of S26s,57l %. The expenditures during
the same period were S2t2,ll =, Ie1ying a
balance OF s56,Il7 80 on hand on October /, 1861,
being S1s,3Si 76 more than the balance as ex-
hiblted on October |, 1863.
The Secretary gives his views upou in re-
edTo 10 some District matters. as quoted by US
Yesterday The work upon the Potomac dam
S anu washington aqueduc'. authorized at the
,asa sesslon has been prosecuted with all prac
tcaoIr despatch The extreme scarcity of
skilled labor and well known local cau,es
nave, however, seriously impadad its pro-
ef.ss; ana lIs condition is not 20 far advan ced
as was cophdently anticipated. An appropri.
alton of fifty one Thousand nine hundred and
forty five dollars (S5l,9I5) is required 10 nav
TOR the work now under contract, and which
should be completed before the close OF the
PR sent fiscal year
The ninth animal report OF the Board OF
Visitors Of the Government Hospital for the
In sane shows that the ins tuition has rendered
very valuable service TO the country during
the past year.
The Columbia Institution for the instruc-
ton OF the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind
appears, from the annual report of the board
OF directors, 10 be in prosperous condition.
A collegiate department for the deaf and dumb
has been iDaDg urated under the recent act OF
Congress authorizing the board 10 confer de-
grees. The Potomac water has been conveyed
10 the premises, but the arrangements for light
ing the bpildiI with gas have not been com
pleted. The appropriation of $3.50 made at
grounds has been expended in the purchase of
nearly fourteen acres contiguous TO the former
premises on the north and west
The state Of Maryland having established
an institution at Baltimore for the blind the
toar6 has expressed the opinion that the blind
OF this District, on account OF their small num-
ber, could be better instrU cted at Baltimore,
and has recommended that their transfer TO
and support il that institution be sanctioned
by law.
During the year fire alarm and police tele-
graph has been erected in connection with the
police system of the city. This will prove to be
of very great value I'm rendering the police
force more effective, and in ins suring the safety
of property against the ravages of fire and the
dangers of riot II is believed that after this
telegraph has been used for a few months, aud
the members of the police have become famil-
lar with The very manv uses 10 which 1t may
be applied, the necessity OF an increase In the
mum her of policemen will not ba felt as here
totore. An appropriation is asked from Con-
gress to meet the expenses incurred.
The clerical force engaged in the compilation
of the statistics of the census becomes eradu-
ally less with the progress of the work de voly-
ing upon IL, and its duties should be completed
at an early period.