SURGEOiN.s" ItEl'OKTS M;\\ VOliK T\VENTV-J'1J{.ST UlSTKICT. 273 



icction, it is done in a very iriegular, (•onrusiMl maniKM-, [jroduciiii; miicli ilinsatisfaction, and causinf^ 

 many mistakes to occur wlicn a (halt takes place in a district whose eniolimeut is corrected by its 

 citizens. To avoid tins in future, 1 would respectfully suggest that the enrol ling-offlcer of each 

 subdistrict be required, on tlie last day of each month, to make up and send to the board of enroll- 

 ment of his district, a report sliowin;;- all clianjics that have oecnri'ed in his sub-district aU'ectiiig 

 the enrollment during the montii. 



There is another question ot considerable iiii[)ortance to the (lovernuient in time of war, wliich I 

 would like to see discussed l)y those whose exi)erience and knowledge better qualify them to meet 

 it thau I am, viz : Whether an army can be recruited as speedily, with less expense to the Govern- 

 ment in the aggregate, and with a fair prospect of securing a better class of men, by regulating the 

 payment of bounties by a law, so that what money is paid in form of bounties should be paid iu 

 equal annual, semi-annual, or quarterly installments. By this system, if found i)racticable, one of 

 the most fruitful causes or incentives to desertion would be avoided — that, namely, of procuring a 

 large bounty, with the intention, after enlistment, of deserting at the first opportunity; and recruit- 

 ing-otiicers would be relieved from a more detestable class of creatures thau deserters — the aiders 

 and abetters of deserters, usually called " bounty-brokers." * * * 



EUWD. S. WALKER, 

 Siifffeon Board of Enrollment Twentieth District of Netc York. 



Watertown, N. Y., Maij 31, 1805. 



NEW YORK— TWENTY-FIRST DISTRICT. 



Extracts from report of Dr. J. O. Stanton. 



* * * On the 13th of March, 1805, I was assigned to duty in this district, relieving 

 Surgeon W. A. Babcock, who had been surgeon of' the board of eurollmeiit from the time of its 

 first meeting, on the 11th day of May, 1S03. 



I found the quota of the district nearly full, and in consequence of this but few men were 

 examined from that time up to April 14, 1805, when the order was received to stop recruiting; iiud 

 those who were examined were, for the most part, for other districts in the western division of the 

 State. These were all recruits and substitutes ; and, as the examiuatiou of enrolled men w-as com- 

 pleted by Dr. Babco(;k, and the quota tilled by volunteering, no enrolled or drafted men were con- 

 sequently examined by me. # * * 



As shown by the records of the office, the number of men examined prior to March 13, 1865, 

 was seven hundred and ninety-one. From March 13, 1805, to April 14. 1805, the number examined 

 was fifty-four. The whole number of enrolled men exempted for physical disability (under call of 

 December 19, 1804) was one hundred and forty six; of this number, thi.tv nine were exempted for 

 loss of teeth. 



The twenty-first district of New York comprises the county of Oneida, situated in the center 

 of the State, and contains about eleven hundred square miles. It is tiaversed, near its center, 

 from west to east by the Mohawk River and Erie (Janal. The surface of the country is undulating, 

 and in some ])arts hilly, with pleasant and \yell-cidtivated valleys along the Mohawk and its tribu- 

 taries. The valley of the Mohawk is from one to two nules wide, of a rich alluvial soil, and is 

 occasionally overflowed by the spring-freshets. From this valley there is a gradual ascent, some 

 three hundred feet above the level of the river ; and on the north side may be found a table-land, 

 trom one-half to three-quarters of a mile in extent, and of a rich gravelly and sandy soil. Higher 

 up, on both sides of the river, the soil is underlaid by argillaceous slate, and at the summit is 

 found the Trenton limestone. The county contains some of the best agricultural and nmnufactur- 

 ing districts in the Union. In the northeastern extremity are the ot^lebrated Falls of Trenton, 

 forming one of the most picturesque and attractive views in the United States. 



The population is for the most i)art of German, Welsh, Irish, and English descent. There are 

 a few Scotch in the manufacturing districts. Although a mixture of many nations, the inhabitants 

 are hardy, industrious, and healthy, and the most of them are engaged in agricultural and manu- 

 facturing pursuits. 

 ;!5 



