532 



NEBRASKA. 



000, leaving available for the expenses of the 

 current year, $38,465,754; a reduction of $12,- 

 000,000 upon the amount required for the pre- 

 vious year. 



The estimates for the fiscal year ending June 

 30, 1869, are as follows: 



Pay of officers and men of the navy $10,660,560 



Improvements and repairs in the navy-yards. . . 10,141,038 



Pay of superintendence in navy-yards 443,772 



Coal, hemp, and equipment of vessels 3.000.000 



Navigation, Naval Academy, observatory, etc. . . 650,999 



Ordnance, magazine, etc 2,342,335 



Construction and repair of vessels 8,600,000 



Steam machinery, tools, etc 4,400,000 



Provisions and clothing 3,400,000 



Hospitals and naval laboratory 141,000 



Contingent expenses 1,832,500 



Support of marine corps 1,614,978 



Total $47,317,182 



A large portion of the foregoing estimate 

 ($10,141,038) is required to place the navy- 

 yards in a more efficient condition, including 

 those destroyed or rendered useless by the war. 



Wire-rigging has been introduced into the 

 Navy with success during the year, and used 

 upon a number of vessels. The tests of the 

 comparative strength of wire and hemp rope 

 and the reports of commanders of wire-rigged 

 vessels are so satisfactory, that the prospect is 

 that hemp-rigging will be eventually super- 

 seded. 



The necessity of the active cooperation of 

 our Government with the European powers in 

 developing the dangers to navigation in the 

 Pacific and Indian Oceans is becoming more ob- 

 vious, especially in the vicinity of China and Ja- 

 pan, and the newly-acquired Russian territory. 



The trials of the navy fifteen-inch gun, in 

 England, have fully vindicated the wisdom of 

 introducing this calibre of cast-iron ordnance 

 into our service. "Wrought-iron gun-carriages 

 are taking the place of the old wooden ones, 

 and a steam-gun carriage for manipulating 

 heavy ordnance, the invention of James B. 

 Eads, of Missouri, has been tried during the 

 past year, with gratifying results. Breech- 

 loading small-arms, in the place of muzzle-load- 

 ers, are now being introduced into the service. 



The Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and 

 Surgery, in addition to the usual annual reports 

 of sickness and death in the Navy, furnishes 

 tables showing that from the commencement 

 of the war to June 30, 1865, there were 

 114,038 cases of sickness, resulting in 2,532 

 deaths. The total number of .deaths from all 

 causes reported at the Navy Department, from 

 October 1, 1866, to September 30, 1867", is 395. 



The marine corps is in an efficient condition, 

 and has adopted the new infantry tactic, re- 

 cently introduced into the army. The number 

 of officers and men attached to vessels in com- 

 mission has been somewhat less than usual 

 during the past year. 



NEBRASKA. Congress having passed an 

 act on the 21st of March, 1864, to enable the 

 people of Nebraska to form a constitution and 

 State government, and the people of that Ter- 

 ritory having complied with the conditions of 



that act, a'bill was introduced into the Senate in 

 January, 1867, to admit Nebraska into the 

 Union as a State. The third section of the act 

 admitting Nebraska provides that the said act 

 shall take effect only " on the fundamental and 

 perpetual condition " that there shall be within 

 the State no abridgment or denial of the exer- 

 cise of the elective franchise by reason of race 

 or color, except in the case of Indians not 

 taxed ; and on the further condition that the 

 Legislature of the State shall, by a solemn 

 public act, declare the assent of the State 

 to the said condition. This act passed both 

 Houses of Congress in January (see CONGRESS, 

 UNITED STATES), but was vetoed by the Presi- 

 dent, mainly on the ground that the con- 

 dition imposed upon the people of that Ter- 

 ritory by that act was indirectly in conflict 

 with one of the provisions of the constitution 

 which they had framed, and that the " people 

 of the States can alone make or change their 

 organic law and prescribe the qualifications re- 

 quisite for electors " (see PUBLIC DOCUMENTS). 

 The act was finally passed over the veto on the 

 8th and 9th of February, and the Legislature 

 having declared its assent, Nebraska was de- 

 clared a State of the Union on the 1st of 

 March, by proclamation of the President, in ac- 

 cordance with the provisions of the act of ad- 

 mission. 



The last session of the Territorial Legislature 

 having closed in February, an extraordinary 

 session was called early in May, to take into 

 consideration such provisions as the change of 

 government rendered necessary. A resolution 

 having been -adopted requesting of the State 

 Treasurer a succinct statement of the financial 

 condition of the State upon the first day of 

 May, 1867, the following report'was submitted 

 by that officer: 



GENEKAL FUND. 



On hand December 1, 1866 $9,11364 



Keceipts to April 80,1867 1,632 82 



Total $10,746 IS 



"Warrants, etc., paid 10,833 78 



Overdrawn . . . 



$87 68 



SINKING FUND. 



On hand December 1, 1866 $14,210 72 



Receipts to April 30th 856 38 



Discount on Bonds cancelled 117 00 



Total $15,184 10 



Coupons and Interest 2,683-87 



Bonds redeemed 7.650 00 



Total $10,238 86 



On hand $4,845 73 



MISCELLANEOUS EECEIPTS. 



Received " conscience money " $75 00 



Territorial Treasury 27,000 00 



RECAPITULATION. 



Sinking Fund on hand $4,845 73 



Conscience 75 00 



Militia reimbursement 27,000 00 



$32,020 73 

 87 68 



Less overpaid in General Fund 



Total in Treasury $31,933 05 



Much of the business of this Legislature was 

 of a local character, relating to the orgauiza- 



