19 



the engravers and lithographers who had contracted to ex- 

 ecute the particular work authorized from time to time by 

 Congress. Tuey comprised the engraved plates of the sur- 

 vevs made by the Wilkes Exploring Expedition in 1838-'42, Engravedpiates 



•' " f o l i belonging to the 



and the North Pacific and Arctic Surveying Expedition, Department pri- 



J te l ' or to the pur- 



under Commander John Kodgers, in 1853-'56, as well as chase from the 



, , ' -,. . -r Messrs. Blunt. 



some plates ot surveys made by the expedition to Japan, 

 under Commodore M. C. Perry, in 1852-'55. These plates, 

 together with those obtained by the recent purchase, were 

 now collected and placed iu the Office. Besides the classi- 

 fication and systematic arrangement of the charts, plates, 

 nautical publications, &c, ten charts were published by 

 the Office in this year, principally from surveys of the North 

 Pacific Surveying Expedition. Also a volume was issued 

 on the general examination of the Pacific Ocean. 



FISCAL TEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1868. 



Early in the year the labor of correcting the chart-plates Correcting of 

 was begun, those obtained from the Messrs. Blunt, owing s un - 

 to changes and more reliable information, having been 

 found full of errors. 



A workshop for the repair of nautical instruments was 

 established in the Office, and a number of the more delicate 

 navigating instruments that were found, on being turned 

 in from ship's use, to require refitting and readjusting were 

 successfully repaired. During the year a pamphlet on Dan- 

 gers and Ice in the North Atlantic was iswsuedby the Office. 

 Seventeen charts were published, two of islands in the 

 North Pacific, from surveys made by the officers of the 

 Lackawanna, Capt. William Beynolds ; one of Spex Strait, 

 from surveys made by officers of the Monocacy, Commander 

 S. P. Carter ; and several from surveys of the North Pa- 

 cific Surveying Expedition. 



FISCAL TEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1869. 



On the 28th of July, 1868, Capt. N. B. Harrison relieved H Sono?dered 

 Commander Fillebrovn in charge of the Hydrograxjhicjg*^^^ 60 ' 

 Office. Changes were made from time to time in the offi- 

 cers on duty in the Office, but their number remained sub- 

 stantially the same. An increase was marie in the civil 



