The New York herald., 1869-12-07

line OF military supply and OF travel and transporta
tion irom the mines OF Southern Nevada.
Sierra Nevada to the Rocky Mountains is fruitful
in valuable results, especially in relation 10
the mining regions and to the extent OF the coal
formation Ii also furnishes other scientific data OF
"' ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT.
The fiscal affairs OF the Ordnance Department
during the year ending June 30, 1869, were as ioi-
lows:- -
Expenditures since June 80, 1858. 2,T87, 7,32i
Turned into surplus fund. hD0o eO)
In Treasury, not credited to appropria-
In depostories, 10 credit Of aisbursing
officers June 30 1862 4o5, b29
In Treasury June 30 1859 1s, 500 2oe
year included 100000 for war claims and about
$4,000 for cartridges made for the Navy Department
Liberty Arsenal, Missouri. has been sold during
the year under authority Of the act Of July 25 1905
aud realized tho sum Of sS,0i2. the st LOUIS
can be spared. but certain buildings thereat should
be reserved rom sale and devoted to general army
PURPOSES. The sale Of the Harper's Ferry Armory
Rome Arsenal, New York; Cnamplain Arsenal ver-
mont; Mount Vernon Arsenal Alabama; Appaach-
Arsenal, Arse North Carolina. % are recommended i to
be sold. IL Ia advisable that this should
os done ana sa the c anas N g
Marion and Davis counties, Texas, should be SINH
larry disposed OF.
and powder depot are recommended TO be estab-
fished on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and In the
valley Of she Mississippi The sale Of some Of the
raise funds wnerewth to establish the principal
arsenal for the Atlantic coast. Rock Island the
point for the principal arsenal for the valley OF the
n.esS psTdsf dspots snSud b sstae
OF the appropriations for the purchase OF gunpowder
and lead Jefferson Barracks reservation answers
buildings are required at this latter place and are
recommended TO be paid for out OF the proceeas Of
the sale Of the st. LOUIS Arsenal
The enlisted force OF the department has been re-
duced from 500 to 750 There are sixtyone officers
ana fourteen ordnance storekeepers In the depart.
men and Of these officers six are on detached duty.
The operations at Springfield Armory have been
confined to the preparation OF machinery ana tools
for converting the Springfield rl1ed musKets into
breech-lOaders upon the plan recommended BY the
Ordnance Board or IS83 to the conversion OF O small
number under the orders OF the Secretary OF War for
81, 900 and to cleaning Enfield mu5kets Tor sale.
the cavalry have been supplied with Spencer car.
bnes altered 10 use the muske metallic ammunition.
The Ihe naasry' heavy artillery ana engineers nave
rined musket All these arms have givel great
satisfaction.
SIGNAL SERVICE.
Instruction has continued In tho several mill
tary departments during the year. the purpose
being to so diifuse knowledge Of the service and
such information OF the duty as may sufice IN case
Of emergency, to save life In prevent disaster to
Ills COmlHauu. IHe signal service mas DeeQ DrOugHt
into active use In operations against Indians ON the
PLAINS.
The courses at the military and naval academies
drill embracing that Of the Held electric telegraph
and flag stations IN the field at West Point before
the Board OF Visitors, received their commentator
and all the duties OF send ing messages by signals or
by telegraph were performed by the cadets.
Fort Whippe has been maintained as post Of
OF the signal service. The force mant aimed const
tutes nucleus or organization for any emergency
Tue organisation and development OF the field
telegraph mas received especial attention ana con-
tinued tests have been made with portable llnes
such are used with trains IN the neld. The field
telegraph trains are organized In military FORM
which requires all movements to be executed at the
word Of command. An object mas been to provide
train so equipped and organized as to enable four
portable lines carried IN 1t to be erected simulta-
nsously at about the rate OF three miles an hour.
FRgEDMAN'S BUREAU.
The operations OF this bureau have been closed,
except the education ana bounty divisions,
and two hospitals for freedmen. The num-
Der Of officers. agents and clerks has been reduced
from 90l to 158 No further reduction practicable
80 long as the present operations shall continue.
The bureau has had under It's care, up TO June 80,
$780, 5s4 IFS persons. All the hospitals but tive have
now been closed transferred to civil authorities
and one OF the remaining two "a about being closed.
There win then remain but one, which Is located in
the District oil columbia, ana cannot be dispensed
The general average during the whole period Of
the existence OF the bureau shows that about in
two hundred, or onehan OF one per cent OF the
freed people have been supported by the govern
The freedmen were advised to make written con-
tracts with their employers and have the same
planned and approved by bureau ofiicer. In sin
gle State more than $4,000 such contracts were
made. The labor OF the freenmen has produced
nearly all the food consumed in the South, besides
large amounts OF RICE sugar and tobacco for expor-
taton and about 1000 900 bales OF cotton per ear
on which were paid into the United States Treasury
during the years 1865 ana 1867 taxes amounting to
Much disappointment and illfeelinQ was caused by
the failure Of the original plan to lease sell the
freedmen. Information has been published respect
Ing lands under the Homestead act OF June a. 1868,
and some aid given to those who desired to enter
them. Attention ls beginning TO turn IN that dIrec-
tion, and about 1000 families have already made
entries ana obtained homes OF their own. In q few
instances freedmen have united IN the purchase OF
farms under cultivation. They are very anxious TO
become land owners, and the possession OF lands
anu homes Is one OF the chief means OF their eeva
tlon.
But the most urgent want is education and more
attention has been paid to thus than to any other
has been organized. Several chartered colleges for
freed people are IN operation, also university in
the District OF Columbia.
In the 2,i2s schools under the care OF the bureau
and officially reported. the number OF teachers en-
poyed Is 2455 and the number OF pupils Is IL, ,522
Adding those estimated i'm private and Sabbath
schools, the number under instruction OF some kind
during the last year Is not less than 600. The
freed people are doing what they can Tor their own
education. having during the last year paid for
tuition ana the construction oil buildings about
$200,o00
T.,
1867 when the tst Treasury certificate received
IA s5,s3l,417 The balance on deposit now due 10
claimants Is sI,22o,OG6. Three Thousand three
hundred and eleven applications Tor bounty
are now under examination IN this ofice,
and $4,000 such claims are now on file IN
the Second Auditors Office awaiting settlement,
and II Is believed that about 1900 claims
OF this KIND remain to be presented. The work OF
paying bouDtles Is therefore not yet complete and it
is believed that the system now IN operation should
be continued.
The freedmen have been protected as far as pos
siDle from injustice. The means adopted have
been conformcd TO the wants OF the dineTenu COM
munities.
The expenses OF the bureau were met the first year
with the proceeds OF rents, sales OF crops, school
taxe3 and tuition and sale Of confederate otaes'
property. The amount received IRON all these
miscellaneous sources was $l,S65 63o, ana
from appropriations by Congress since July, 1sc6
sli ioSi,76o, making total OF $l2,95o395 received
from all eourcea rhe expenditures including the
accounts Of the Department OF Negro Affairs"
from June l, 1865, to August 81, 1859, have been
$llIsI, ,02s.
In addition to this, subsistence, medical supplies
aud quartermaster supplies were expended amount
ing In cash to 81 800 TSS but whose real value when