UNITED STATES. 



779 



At the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md., 

 there were 237 cadets on Oct. 1, 1886, and 

 229 at the same date this year. The graduat- 

 ing class in June contained 44 members. The 

 total appropriations for the fiscal year ending 

 June 30 were $189,031.97, and the expendi- 

 tures $179,964.91. 



Postal Service. The business of this depart- 

 ment shows a gratifying increase during the 

 year, which justifies the expectation that it 

 will soon become self-supporting again, not- 

 withstanding the recent reduction of rates. 

 The operations of the first two years, 1885 

 and 1886, in which this reduction took effect, 

 resulted in a cash deficiency of nearly $7,000,- 

 000 each year. For the fiscal year 1887, the 

 deficiency has been reduced to $4,000,000. 

 The total revenue for 1887 was $48,837,609.39, 

 against $43,948,422.95 for 1886, and $42,560,- 

 843.83 for 1885. The expenditures in the 

 same time have increased from $49,534,788.65 

 in 1885, to $50,854,109.12 in 1886, and $52,- 

 814,113.61 in 1887. 



The increase of post-offices filled by presi- 

 dential appointment during the year ending 

 Jnly 1 was 92, making the total number 2,336. 

 Between July 1 and Oct. 1 there were 45 added 

 to the list. The fourth-class offices on July 1 

 numbered 52,821, an increase of 1,543 for the 

 year; on Oct. 1 there were 53,053. The 

 appointments of postmasters numbered alto- 

 gether during the fiscal year 13,079, of which 

 6.863 were to fill vacancies upon the expira- 

 tion of commissions or by resignations ; 2,584 

 upon removals or suspensions ; 589 by death ; 

 and 3,043 to newly established offices. Of 

 these the presidential appointments numbered 

 893, as follows : By expiration of commission, 

 350 ; by resignation, 122 ; by removal or sus- 

 pension, 237 ; by death, 39 ; and upon the as- 

 signment of fourth-class offices to a presidential 

 class, 145. The total changes in presidential 

 offices existing March 4, 1885, has been 86 - 6 

 per cent., and in fourth-class offices 61 per cent. 

 The free-delivery service was extended during 

 the fiscal year to 8 additional cities, making 

 the total number 189. This and the growtli of 

 business necessitated an increase of 469 car- 

 riers, making the total number 5,310. The act 

 of Jan. 3, 1887, which authorizes the discre- 

 tionary extension of the service to cities having 

 10,000 inhabitants or collecting $10,000 of 

 gross postal revenue, first became operative on 

 July 1. Under its provisions free delivery was 

 established, up to October 1, in 140 additional 

 cities, and other applications were on file. 



The money-order service continued to in- 

 crease during the year, the amount of domestic 

 orders issued reaching $117,462,660.89, and of 

 international orders $9,035,530.31. The aggre- 

 gate of postal-notes issued was $11,768,824.81, 

 an increase of but $50,814.76 In the special 

 delivery service there has been but slight in- 

 crease during the year, the number of articles 

 delivered being about one million and a half. 

 A considerable saving in the cost of domestic 



mail transportation was made during the year. 

 (See POSTAL FACILITIES.) 



Pensions. During the year, 55,194 new pen- 

 sions were granted, besides 2,707 names re- 

 stored to the rolls, making the total number 

 of pensioners at the close of the year 406,007. 

 Old names were dropped from the rolls to the 

 number of 17,677. The new pensions granted 

 numbered more than in any previous year. 

 The aggregate annual value of all pensions on 

 June 30 was $52,824,641, an increase for the 

 year of $8,116,633. The amount paid for 

 pensions during the year was $73,465,581, an 

 increase over the previous year of $9,669,750. 

 There was paid to 44,019 new pensioners dur- 

 ing the year upon first payment $25,166,990. 



Public Building. The State, War, and Navy 

 Building at Washington, was substantially 

 completed at the close of the year. It was be- 

 gun by the construction of the south wing, 

 now occupied by the State Department, which 

 was erected at a cost of $3,373,939, between 

 June 21, 1871, and Dec. 31, 1875. The east- 

 ern wing, now occupied by the Navy Depart- 

 ment, was built at a cost of $2,672,287, be- 

 tween July 14, 1872, and April 16, 1879. The 

 northern wing, now occupied by the War De- 

 partment, cost $1,914,501, and was built be- 

 tween May 22, 1879, and Dec. 23, 1882. The 

 western and central wings, the erection of 

 which was begun Feb. 18, 1884, are substan- 

 tially completed at the present time, and will 

 be ready for occupation early in 1888. The 

 cost of these two wings will not exceed $2,- 

 163,478. Under the legislative bill approved 

 March 3, 1887, these two wings are to be oc- 

 cupied entirely by the War Department. 



Alaska. The Territorial officers for the year 

 were as follow : Governor, Alfred P. Swine- 

 ford ; United States District Judge, Lafayette 

 Dawson ; Clerk of the Court and ex-officio 

 Secretary and Treasurer, Henry E. Haydon; 

 District Attorney, M. D. Ball, succeeded by 

 Whitaker M. Grant. The total population of 

 the Territory is estimated to be about as fol- 

 lows: Whites, 5,000; Creoles (practically white), 

 1,800; Aleuts, 3,000; natives (civilized, and 

 more or less educated), 2,500 ; natives (un- 

 civilized), 27,500 ; total, 39,800. 



There are no fee-simple titles in the whole 

 Territory, except in the cases of twenty small 

 lots or parcels of land in the town of Sitka, 

 and one in Saint Paul, Kadiak Island, the ab- 

 solute ownership of which was vested in the 

 occupants at the time of the transfer by the 

 protocol executed by the American and Russian 

 commissioners, Oct. 18, 1867. In all other c:i*es 

 the occupants and claimants of lands, except 

 mining claims, are simply squatters. 



During the year considerable progress has 

 been made in the development of the gold- 

 bearing ledges of southeastern Alaska, though 

 as yet the Territory can boast of but one p.-iv 

 ing quartz-mine. This last is the great P:iris 

 mine, on Douglas Island, which, together with 

 its 120-stamp mill, has been in continuous 



