The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1882-08-11
WASHINGTON NOTES.

Exports of petroleum for the twelve
months ended June 30, 1882, were SOL ,.ss5G2
FOG.
A number of female clerks in the office
of the Secretary of the Navy have beer
dismissed on account of the failure of ap
preparations.
entered upon his duties as Surgeon Genera
of the Army. The selection of an Assist
ant Surgeon General has been postponed
till the next session of Congress.
The Secretary of the Navy has approved
the design of the flag to be known as the
presidents flag" 1t will fly from the
mainmast Of every vessel used by the Pres
ident. The first one to be Used will fly from
the steamer Despatch, when the President
leaves on that vessel for New York.
Lient. Winslow, of the United States
artificial propagation of oysters, ten million
young oysters in Long Island sound. The
oysters planted were only two days old.
and could be discovered only by the aid of
q strong magnifying-glass.
The United States minister at St. Peters.
burg has been advised that congress has
made provision for bringing home the re.
mains of Lieutenant De Long and his com.
panions, and Lieutenant HARDER has re.
ceived orders to bring the bodies on sledges
to Orenburg, where metallic cases will be
in waiting.
The clerks in the various outside bureaus
of the War Department are being all dis.
charged, and most of them hired over again.
Under the bill passed the clerks in the of.
fees of the COmmissary General, Surgeon
General, and Adjutant Generals offices are
made civilians, while heretofore most of
them have been enlisted men. The heads
of the bureaus are taking the opportunity
to reorganiZe the force, and some of the dis.
charged men will stay out for inefficiency
or other Objectionable qualities.
To correct loose statement which has
gone out from Washington in various
that a vote Of thanks to a speaker of the
House is not usual at the end of the first
session of Congress. Thanks are reserv.
ed for the close of term. The only in
stance within recent years when thanks
have been rendered the presiding officer of
the House at the expiration of the first SEES
sion of a Congress was in the case Of Milton
Sayler, of Cincinnati, who was acting as
Speaker pro tenn. He was functus 0fficiO
ut the end of the first session, and therefore
got his thanks then.
Secretary Teller emphatically denies the
report that he advised the passage of the
river and harbor bill over the presidents
veto. He says he happened to be in the
senate chamber on business concerning his
own department shortly before the veto
was taken, but so far from saying anything
In favor of the VETOED bill, he incidentally
thDItSStu W StNtlul StlldtOiS ulS ODllllOD
that the bill was very obnoxious message,
and the veto ought by all means to be sus
tanned. Secretary Teller further remarked
that he voted against every river and har
Dor bill that had come before the senate
while he was member of that body; that
he made speeches against four of them, and
that, as matter of fact, he regarded the
last bill as much worse than any of its pre-
decess0rs.
CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.
There are several Congressional commit
tees which will meet during vacation. The
Committee on American Shipping will be
here TO organize this week, and will proba-
bly, arrange to hold its first business meet
ing i'm New York about Nov. Is. The Ways
and Means Committee has leave to sit be-
ginning the second Tuesday in November
by which time it Is expected reports from
the Tariff Commission will begin to come
in on which that committee expects to go to
work. The Printing Committee has leave
to sit during the recess and will consider
how best to curtail the government printing
expenses by the reduction of the number
and character of documents published by
authority of Congress. The House select
committee on the work of improvement of
the Mississippi River will meet after the
November elections at Cairo and will
thence proceed down the river to examine
into the progress and character of the work.