those widows who have heretofore had the benefit of the same, and the same are hereby also extended to the widows of officers, seamen and marines, who have died in the naval service since the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-four, or who may die in said service, by reason of disease contracted, or of casualties by drowning or otherwise, or of injuries received while in the line of their duty, and the pensions of such widows shall commence from the passage of this act: Provided, That every pension hereby granted shall cease on the death or marriage of such widow.

SEC. 2 And be it further enacted, That there be reimbursed to the navy pension fund, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the cost of the stock of the Bank of Columbia, heretofore purhased by the commissioners of the said fund, and which now remains unredeemed by the said bank, together with interest thereon from the period at which said bank ceased to pay interest, to the time of the reimbursement, herein directed to be made; and at the period of said reimbursement, the said stock shall be transferred by the Secretary of the Navy to the Treasurer of the United States.

[Approved, 30th June, 1834.]

An act further to extend the term of certain pensions chargeable on the Privateer Pension Fund.

[SEC. 1.] Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the pensions of fall widows who trow are or have been heretofore in the receipt thereof, under the provision of the act entitled "An act giving pensions to the orphans and widows of persons slain in the public or private armed vessels of the United States," passed the fourth day of March, one thousand eight hundred and fourteen, and the act entitled "An act in addition to an act giving pensions to the orphans and widows of persons slain in the public or private armed vessels of the United States," passed the sixteenth day of April, one thousand eight hundred and eighteen, or either of said acts, so far as regards persons receiving pensious from the fund arising from captures and salvage made by the private armed vessels of the United States be, and the same are hereby, continued under the restrictions and regulations in the said acts contained, for and during the additional terms of five years from and after the period of the expiration of the said pensions, respectively: Provided however, That the said pensions shall be paid from the proceeds of the privateer pension fund, and without recourse to the United States, for any deficiency which may hereafter arise thereon, if any such there be: And provided further, That no such pension shall be paid to any widow after her intermarriage, had or to be had. [Approved, June 19th, 1834.]

An act to provide for rebuilding the frigate Congress. [SEC. 1.] Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the sum of one hundred and eighty-one thousand dollars be, and the same is hereby, appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropri

ated, to rebuild the frigate Congress; and no part of said sum shall be carried to the surplus fund, notwithstanding any general provision in any other act to the contrary. [Approved, June 30th, 1834.]

An act authorizing the purchase of live oak frames for a frigate and sloop of war, and for other naval purposes.

[SEC. 1.] Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Navy be, and he is hereby authorized, to direct the procurement, in the usual mode, of a live cak frame for a frigate to be called the Paul Jones, and a live oak frame for a sloop of war to be called the Levant; and the sum of fifty thousand dollars is hereby appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for that purpose. [Approved, June 30th, 1834.]

An act authorizing the Secretary of the Navy to make experiments for the safety of the steam engine.

[SEC. 1.] Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Navy be, and he is hereby, authorized and empowered to examine and test the steam engine devised by Benjamin Phillips, of Philadelphia, and to employ said Phillips, and such other persons as he may deem proper to make the experiment

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That a discretionary power be vested in the Secretary of the Navy to examine and test such other improvements in the same line, as may hereafter be presented, and for that purpose to employ such person or persons as he may deem proper; and that he report to Congress as soon as may be, the result of any experiment made in pursuance of this act.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That, for the purpose of carrying this act into execution, the sum of five thousand dollars, out of any money in the Treasury, not otherwise appropriated, be, and is hereby, appropriated, and placed at the disposal of the Secretary of the Navy. [Approved, June 30th, 1834.]

An act to authorize the President of the United States to direct transfers of appropriations in the naval service, under certain circumstances.

[SEC. 1.] Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That upon the application of the Secretary of the Navy, the President of the United States shall have authority, whenever, in his opinion, the contingencies of the public service may require it, at any period between the close of the year,, and the passage of the new naval appropriation bills, to direct that a part of the money appropriated for a particular branch of the naval service the former year to be applied to another branch of the said service; in which case a special account of the moneys thus transferred, and of their application, shall be laid before Congress previous to its adjournment. [Approved, 30th June, 1834.]

REPORT OF THE POSTMASTER GENERAL.

GENERAL POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, Nov. 29, 1834.

To the President of the United States:

SIR, The report which I had the honor to make on the 30th November, 1832, exhibited a balance due from this department on the 1st July, 1833, beyond the whole amount of its available funds, of $195,208 40.

The expenses for the transportation of the mail necessarily continued undiminished till the close of the year 1833, prior to which date the retrenchments stated in that report could not take effect; consequently the balance of debt against the department continued to augment till that period.

$434,628 89

The gross amount of postages was, from July 1st to December 31st, 1833, $1,375,437 28 Compensation to postmasters, including the contingent expenses of their offices during the same period, amounted to Incidental expenses of the department, during the same time, amounted to The expense for transportation of the mail from July 1st to December 31st, 1833, was

47,797 29

1,013,402 68

Making the total expenses of the department for that halt year,

This sum, after deducting the gross amount of postages for that period, leaves a deficit for the six months ending 31st December, 1833, of

To this sum add the deficit existing on 1st of July, 1833, And the balance of the debt against the department, beyond the amount of its available funds, was, on the let of January, 1834,

$1,495,828 86

120,391 58 195,208 40

315,599 98

From the 1st of January, 1834, the retrenchments in the transportation of the mail, stated in my report of last year, began to take effect; and from that period the revenues of the department have exceeded its expenses. The gross amount of postages, was, from January 1, to

June 30, 1334, Compensation to postmasters, including the contingent expenses of their offices within the same period, a mounted to

Incidental expenses of the department

for the same period amounted to The transportation of the mail from January 1st to June 30th, 1834, aniounted to

$461,433 64

30,300 38

909,028 43

Making the total expenses of the department for the
half year ending the 30th of June, 1834,
This sum deducted from the gross amount of postages

$1,448,269 69

1,400,762 45

for that period, leaves a revenue beyond the amount of expenses for the half year, from January 1st to June 30th, 1834, of

This sum deducted from the deficit existing January 1, 1834,

Reduces the balance of debt which existed against the department on the 1st of July, 1834, to

47,507 24

315,599 98

$268,092 74

Such was the financial condition of the department on the 1st day of July last. The amount of this debt has been continually diminishing to the present time, and it continues to diminish in an increased ratio.

On the 1st day of July, 1834, the balance of the account with banks was $398,616 99, against the department, consisting of loans, $275,000, and overchecks to the amount of $123.616 99. In this statement, the difference between loans and overchecks is rather nominal than essential. When overchecks are mutually agreed upon to a certain definite amount as a standing order, they are called loans; but when they vary indefinitely as to time and amount, they are called overchecks. In either case they are debts due from the department to banks. This amount of balance against the department has been considerably reduced since the 1st of July last. On the first day of the present month it stood as follows: Amount due for loans from banks,

Amount of overchecks, November 1, 1834,

Making, together, the sum of

On the same day the balances of bank deposites in
favor of the department, constituting the amount of
cash on hand, amounted to
Making the actual balance of the accounts with banks,
against the department, on the 1st November, 1834,

$275,000 00 55,969 09

330,969 09

82.031 34

$248,937 75

The contracts for the southern section, including the States of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, and the Territory of Florida, which will expire with the current year, have been renewed to take effect from the 1st of January next, on such terms as will effect an annual saving from the amount now paid for transportation in that section of about Additional retrenchments have also been made in the expense of transportation subsequent to my last report, to the annual amount of about 59,000 Making, together, an annual saving from the 1st Jan'y next, of $179,000

$120,000

From the savings thus effected, together with the current excess of revenue in favor of the department, it may be safely calculated that, without any reliance upon an increase in the gross amount of postages, the revenues of the department will exceed its expenditures during the ensuing calendar year, to the amount of $270,000.

From a careful estimate, it may be anticipated, with entire confidence, that, before the close of the year 1835, the whole balance of debt against the department will be extinguished. No part of this debt was contracted upon the credit of the Treasury, nor upon any other credit or authority,

than that of the department alone. It was never regarded by either of the parties in the character of a debt of the Government, but a mere ex pedient to anticipate the resources of the department, based upon the credit of the resources alone. The means of its liquidation within a reasonable time were always within the legal control of the department, and no other means have at any time been sought or desired by the department.

In my report of November, 1833, the expense for transporting the mail, and for incidentals, from July 1 to December 31, 1833, was estimated at $1 061,644 71 1,061,199 97

The actual expense for that period was
Varying from the estimate only

$444 74

The nett proceeds for postages for the year ending 30th June, 1834, were then estimated at

The actual nett proceeds of postages for that year were
Falling below the estimate by the sum of

$2.037,410 81 1 927,644 44 $109,766 37

Thus it appears that the expenses of the department have not essentially varied from the estimate; but the nett revenue arising from postages has fallen short of the estimate then made more than a hundred thousand dollars. This is believed to be, in a very considerable degree, attributable to the great increase of free letters. The progressive increase of population naturally brings with it an accumulation of business in the Executive offices, which tends in some measure to increase the r correspondence; and, in addition to this, a law passed in March, 1833, extending to members of Congress the privilege of franking during the whole recess. Every other year the session of Congress is protracted to a much greater length than in the alternate year, when a Congress terminates. The expenses for the delivery of free letters, at two cents each, have al ways amounted to a much greater sum during the year when the session is protracted, than during the alternate year. To make a fair comparison between the amount of free letters before and after the extension of the franking privilege, it is necessary to take two entire years. Thus, the allowance to postmasters for the delivery of free letters for the two years ending July 30, 1832, (before the extension,) was $40,556 89

For the two years ending July 1st, 1834, (after the extension,) it was

54,158 88

$13,601 99

or payment for the delivery of 680,099 free letters more than were delivered during the two preceding years. But no allowance is made for the delivery of free letters at post offices where the postmasters' commis sions exceed $500 a quarter.

If the same proportion of free letters is delivered at offices where no allowances for them are made to postmasters, as at the smaller offices, then the increase since the franking privilege was extended is equal to 960,000 free letters, more than what were delivered within the same period of time prior to that extension. The postage on each of these letters, if not free, would be from six cents to two dollars. The average it is believed, would not be less than twenty-five cents each, exclusive of