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Fourche has also been made. The primary triangulation of Mississippi sound has been resumed. The secondary triangulation from Lake Ponchartrain to New Orleans has been completed so far as to connect Mobile and New Orleans. The inshore hydrography of the Gulf has been completed from the meridian of Round island westward to Chandeleur sound, and of Mississippi sound to the former work at Cat and Ship islands. Search has been made for a shoal reported south of the Belize, and its site has been sounded over. Tidal observations have been taken at Calcasien. Drawings have been executed of the progress sketch of a chart of deep sea soundings off the Mississippi and of Pass Fourchon. The charts and sketches engraved during the year have been, besides the progress sketches, Horn Island Pass, new edition, Pascagoula river entrance, and Ship Island shoal or Isle Dernière. Mobile bay, Nos. 1 and 2, are in progress.

SECTION IX.-Coast of Louisiana and Texas.-A triangulation and topographical survey of the entrance of the Rio Bravo del Norte, and for four miles up the river have been made, and the hydrography of the entrance and approaches executed for the boundary commission. The tidal observations at Galveston and at Bolivar point have been completed. The hydrography of Galveston bay near Red Fish bar, and of part of East and West bays has been completed. Tidal observations have been taken at Aransas pass and at the Brazos St. Jago, belonging to the general series for the Gulf of Mexico. The progress sketch and a topographical sheet of the mouth of the Rio Grande have been drawn. The sketches of Sabine pass, of Galveston bay entrance, of San Louis pass, of Aransas pass, and of the Rio Grande entrance, have been engraved within the year, or are in progress.

SECTIONS X AND XI.-Coast of California, and of Oregon and Washington Territories.-Observations for latitude and azimuth and magnetic elements have been made at Humboldt bay. Magnetic observations have also been made at San Diego, San Pedro, San Luis Obispo and at Monterey. The primary triangulation and secondary connected with it, resting on the Pulgas preliminary base, have been carried north to Ballenas bay and south to Monterey, and the tertiary triangulation along the immediate shore has been commenced. A tertiary triangulation has been carried over Ballenas bay and to Duxbury reef. The triangulation for connecting the Santa Barbara Islands and main, resting on the Los Angeles base, has been carried from Las Bol

sas to Point Duma, and Santa Catalina island has been connected with the main. The triangulation of the Gulf of Georgia and approaches has made good progress. The topography of San Francisco bay has been continued and extended to Point San Matteo, and that of the coast north to Duxbury reef, completed. The topography of Monterey bay has been completed from the Salinas river on the south to the north of Año Nuevo, and a party is at work towards Point Lobos, San Francisco entrance. The hydrography of Tomales bay has been executed. That of Humboldt bay from Eureka, to include the entrance and north to Eel river, has been finished. That of Lummi, and other islands in the Gulf of Georgia, executed. The hydrography of San Francisco entrance and approaches has been nearly completed. That of the inner bay has made some progress. Umquah river entrance has been sounded out. A bank off the coast of Oregon has been explored. Seattle harbor and Port Townsend, Puget's sound, Washington Territory, have been sounded out. The hydrography of the Straits of Rosario and approaches has been completed, and that of the Gulf of Georgia continued. Examinations for light houses have been made at Año Nuevo, and Anacapa island, and others for Punta de los Reyes, Point Lobos, harbor of San Pedro, harbor of Santa Cruz, bay of Monterey, harbor of Santa Barbara, Umquah, Blunt's or Smith's island, New Dungeness and Cape Shoalwater are in progress. Permanent tide gauges have been established at San Diego, San Francisco and Astoria, and temporary ones at San Pedro, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Humboldt bay, and Port Oxford. Drawings have been completed of Alden's reconnoissance, Nos. 2 and 3, of Santa Cruz harbor, of Point Año Nuevo, of Pulgas base, of Shelter cove, Mendocina city, Port Oxford or Ewing harbor, and Crescent city, of Umquah river and of tidal diagrams. The following maps and charts are in progress: Alden's reconnoissance No. 2, Santa Cruz, Point Año Neuvo, Shelter cove, Mendocina city, Port Oxford or Ewing harbor, and Crescent city harbor and anchorages, and of Umquah river entrance. The following have been engraved during the year: Alden's reconnoissance, San Diego to San Francisco, new edition, the Cortez bank, San Diego harbor entrance, tidal diagrams for Rincon point, the site of the Pulgas base, the tidal diagrams for San Diego, San Francisco, and Astoria.

The observations of the field parties, as they have been turned into the office, have been computed, and when ap

proved, passed into the archives. The topographical maps and hydrographical charts with the computed results have furnished the data from which the new maps and sketches referred to have been drawn and engraved. Some plates have been prepared for the annual report not coming under the head of any of the sections. The engraved maps have been electrotyped, and from these plates impressions taken for publication. The numerous sketches of progress and others accompanying the report are in part from this data.

The operations of the survey for the last two years have been so seriously embarrassed by the general advance of prices, as to call for a reduction of the scale of surveying operations, or an increase of the several appropriations. The Superintendent has therefore estimated the appropriations for the next year at an advance of twenty per cent. for the Atlantic coast, and somewhat more than that for the Florida reefs and keys. No increase is asked for the western. coast, and it is suggested that the appropriation for publishing records and results may be diminished.

The Report of 1854 is more abundant in the results of the Coast Survey observations, discussions and researches, than any of its predecessors. Its contributions to geodesy and the related sciences are exceedingly rich and varied, and we regret that our limits will not permit us to avail ourselves more largely of its contents.

Among the valuable results embodied in the Report, to which we can only allude, are a table showing the depths which can be carried into some of the principal harbors, bays, &c., on the coast of the United States; a table of Magnetic Declinations, one of the most extensive and laborious contributions ever made to the physical science of our country; accounts of the several discoveries and developments of the year; several reconnoissances; reports on the commercial facilities of Chesapeake bay, Tampa bay, Cedar keys, and Humboldt bay; various tidal papers; an elaborate geodetic paper on the application of the method of least squares to the primary triangulation; Captain Crane's report on the methods of measuring heights; a description of Professor Bache's base apparatus; Professors Pierce, Bond, and Kendall on the longitudes by moon culminations; observations on the solar eclipse of 1854; Doctor Gould's reports on telegraphic longitude and Pierce' criterion; a discussion of cotidal lines on the Atlantic coast, and of the diurnal inequality of the Pacific coast tides; a paper on Gulf

stream temperatures; discussions of the currents of Nantucket shoals, Muskeget channel, and Long Island sound; tide tables for the United States coast; very extensive and complete descriptions of Mitchell's tide gauge and Craven's sounding box; a report on Mr. Mathiot's self sustaining battery, and a report on the art of engraving.

To these might be added sundry special reports on light house examinations and other incidents of the year's operations; also, a full consolidated index of the Coast Survey Reports for the last ten years.

XII.-ORGANIZATION OF TERRITORIES.

Thirty-Third Congress, Sess, I. Ch. 59, 1854.

AN ACT TO ORGANIZE THE TERRITORIES OF NEBRASKA AND

KANSAS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That all that part of the territory of the United States included within the following limits, except such portions thereof as are hereinafter expressly exempted from the operations of this act, to wit: beginning at a point in the Missouri River where the fortieth parallel of north latitude crosses the same; thence west on said parallel to the east boundary of the Territory of Utah, on the summit of the Rocky Mountains; thence on said summit northward to the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude; thence east on said parallel to the western boundary of the territory of Minnesota; thence southward on said boundary to the Missouri River; thence down the main channel of said river to the place of beginning, be, and the same is hereby, created into a temporary government by the name of the Territory of Nebraska; and when admitted as a State or States, the said Territory, or any portion of the same, shall be received into the Union with or without slavery, as their constitution may prescribe at the time of their admission: Provided, That nothing in this act contained shall be construed to inhibit the government of the United States from dividing said Territory into two or more Territories, in such manner and at such times as Congress shall deem convenient and proper, or from attaching any portion of said Territory to any other State or Territory of the United States: Provided further, That nothing in this act contained shall be construed to impair the rights of person or property now pertaining to the Indians in said Territory, so long as such right shall remain unextinguished by treaty between the United States and such Indians, or to include any territory which, by treaty with any Indian tribe, is not, without the consent of said tribe, to be included within the territorial limits or jurisdiction of any State or Territory; but all such territory shall be excepted out of the boundaries, and constitute no part of the Territory of Nebraska, until said tribe shall signify their

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