ART. VII.-INTERIOR DEPARTMENT.

§ 1. This department was created by act of Congress, March 3, 1849. The Secretary of the Interior is at the head of the department, and he has one assistant secretary. The business is distributed through the bureaus of the public lands, pensions, Indian affairs, patents, and agriculture.

§ 2. The officer in charge of the Bureau of Public Lands is called the Commissioner of the General Land-Office. He has charge of the survey and sale of the public lands and their legal transfer, whether under the homestead act, military bounty act, grants for school-purposes, or internal improvements.

§ 3. The officer of the Pension Bureau is called the Commissioner of Pensions. He attends to the adjudication of pensionclaims against the United States, whether due in land or money.

§ 4. The principal officer of the Indian Bureau is called the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, who attends to all governmentmatters connected with the Indian tribes.

§ 5. The Patent Office is under the direction of the Commissioner of Patents, who attends to all business in reference to the issue of letters-patent to inventors. The Commissioner of Agriculture has supervision of all the national interests in agriculture.

§ 6. By the act of 1849, organizing the Department of the Interior, the supervision of the accounts of the United-States marshals and attorneys, and the clerks of the United-States courts, were transferred from the treasury to this department. The Secretary of the Interior has supervision of the marshals and others in taking the census of the United States; also of the lead and other mines of the United States, and of the accounts of the agents therefor.

§ 7. He likewise exercises supervisory power over the commissioners of the public buildings, including the Capitol and Department buildings; and over the board of inspectors and warden of the penitentiary of the District of Columbia.

§ 8. The Secretary of the Interior appoints the chief clerk and all other clerks of his department; and the commissions of all officers under the control and direction of the Secretary of the

Interior are made out and recorded in the Department of the Interior, and the seal of the department is affixed thereto.

§ 9. The Secretary of the Interior is charged with receiving, arranging, safe-keeping, and with the distribution of, all printed journals of the two houses of Congress, and all other books of whatever nature printed and purchased for the use of government, except such as are printed or purchased for the use of Congress or for the particular use of any of the other departments He is required to set apart a suitable room in the patentoffice for their safe keeping.

The following is a list of the Secretaries of this department from its organization, with the dates of appointment:

ART. VIII.-DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.

§ 1. By act of Congress, Sept. 24, 1789, there is to be ap pointed an attorney-general of the United States, who shall be sworn to the faithful execution of his office. He may appoint an assistant at a salary of $3,500 a year.

§ 2. The duties of his office may be classified as follows:-1st. He shall prosecute and conduct all suits in the Supreme Court in which the United States shall be concerned. 2d. He shall give advice and opinions on questions of law when required by the President of the United States.

3d. He shall give legal advice and opinions, when requested by the heads of any of the departments, touching any matter. that concerns their departments.

4th. He shall advise with and direct the solicitor of the treasury as to the manner of conducting suits, proceedings, and prosecutions.

5th. He is charged with the general superintendence and direction of all United-States district attorneys and marshals; and they are required to report to him an account of their official proceedings, and the condition of their respective offices, at such times and in such manner as he may direct. 6th. All applications to the President for pardons in cases of con viction under the laws of the United States are referred to the Attorney-General for examination and his opinion. 7th. He oversees and conducts the transfer of all lands purchased by the United States as sites for the erection of public works for government use. He sees to the examination of the titles in such cases.

§ 3. The Attorney-General is authorized to employ a chief clerk at a salary of $2,200 a year; two clerks, one a “pardon clerk," and the other an "opinion clerk," at salaries of $1,800 a year each; and several other clerks with salaries varying from $1,200 to $1,600 a year.

§ 4. The following is a list of the Attorneys-General from the institution of this office, with the date of appointments:

ART. IX.-DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

§ 1. Originally and until the year 1862 the Department of Agriculture was a division of the Patent Office, and its duties were more or less distinctly defined by law. The first definite appropriation for agricultural purposes in connection with the work of the Patent Office was made in the year 1839. In 1862 the Department of Agriculture was established by law, and a Commissioner of Agriculture was appointed. The department was not subject to any other executive department of the government, but still did not occupy a place as an executive department of Cabinet rank. This continued to be the case until February, 1889, when by an act of Congress the Department of Agriculture was constituted one of the chief executive departments of the government, the head of the department being styled Secretary of Agriculture, and made an officer of Cabinet rank.

§ 2. In addition to the Secretary of Agriculture there is an Assistant Secretary with a salary of $4,500, a chief clerk, chief of division accounts, and librarian, besides numerous clerks and officials.

The Department of Agriculture also embraces numerous divisions for specific work under the direction of the Secretary, as follows:

1st. Botanical Division, under the charge of a botanist, assistant botanist, and subordinates.

2d. Pomological Division, under the charge of a chief pomolo

gist.

3d. Microscopical Division, under the charge of a microscopist and assistants.

4th. Chemical Division, under the charge of a chief chemist and numerous assistants.

5th. Entomological Division, under the charge of an entomologist and assistants.

6th. Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy, under the charge of an ornithologist and assistants.