through the bureaus of the public lands, pensions, Indian affairs, patents, and agriculture.

§2. The principal 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, their legal transfer according to the laws of Congress, whether under the homestead act, military bounty act, grants for school-purposes, or internal improvements.

§ 3. The chief officer of the Pension Bureau is called the Commissioner of Pensions. He attends to the adjudication of pensionclaims against the United States, whether due to the soldiers of the Revolution or of the late wars, and whether due in land or money. The principal officer of the Indian Bureau is called the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, who attends to all governmentmatters connected with the Indian tribes.

§ 4. The Bureau of the Patent Office is under the direction of the Commissioner of Patents, who attends to all business on the part of the government in reference to the issue of letters-patent to inventors. There is a commissioner of agriculture, who has supervision of all the national interests in agriculture.

§ 5. 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.

§ 6. 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.

§ 7. 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.

§ 8. 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 to the present time, 1868, with the dates of appointment:

ART. VIII.-ATTORNEY-GENERAL'S OFFICE.

§ 1. By act of Congress, Sept. 24, 1789, there is to be appointed 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 under the following heads:

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 state and 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 conviction 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 in 1789 to 1881, with the date of appointments:

§ 5. There is one principal messenger employed in each of the offices of the secretaries of the departments, at a salary of $900 a year; and there is one principal messenger in each of the bureaus of the several executive departments, at a salary of $840 a year. There are also other messengers and assistant messengers in each of the departments, at a salary of $700 a year.

§ 6. The heads of the departments, with the Attorney-General, are the President's Constitutional advisers, and constitute his cabinet; each having a salary of $8,000 a year. Each of the executive departments has an official seal, which is annexed to all public documents issuing from their respective offices.

ART. IX.-SPEAKERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

The following is a list of the Speakers of the House of Representatives, from the adoption of the Constitution to 1881, with dates of appointment:

1 Elected pro tempore during sickness of the Speaker.