THE MONEY-ORDER SYSTEM.

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Dr. C. F. Macdonald, now the Superintendent of the Money-Order Department, and J. M. McGrew, now Chief Clerk of the Sixth Auditor's office, commissioners to visit Quebec and examine the workings of the Money-Order System which has been in operation in Great Britain and Canada for several years.

The system, as used by the British Government, was modified and simplified by the commissioners, and on the 8th of November, 1864, the Money-Order System of the United States was inaugurated, with 138 offices authorized to issue and pay.

During the part of the fiscal year commencing November 8, 1864, and ending June 30, 1865, there were 74,277 money-orders issued, amounting to $1,360,122.52; during next fiscal year ending June 30, 1866-138,297, amounting to $3,977,259.28; during next fiscal year ending June 30, 1867-474,496, amounting to $9,229,327.72; during next fiscal year ending June 30, 1868— 831,937, amounting to $16,197,858.47; during next fiscal year ending June 30, 1869-1,264,143, amounting to $24,848,058.93; during next fiscal year ending June 30, 1870-1,675,228, amounting to $33,658,740,27; during the next fiscal year ending June 30, 1871-2,151,794; amounting to $42,164,118.03; during next fiscal year ending June 30, 1872-2,573,349, amounting to $48,515,532.72.

During the present fiscal year, which expired June 30, 1873, the number of orders issued will reach 3,000,000, and the amount will be over $50,000,000.

The above figures, in themselves, contain the history of the money-order system from its beginning to the pres ent time. During the war one letter was received at the

Dead-Letter Office which contained $12,000. Rarely now does any sum inside of an envelope amount to $50. As a rule, any sum over $5 is sent by money order—at least by all persons who have any reasonable idea of what is absolutely safe.

Charles Lyman, the Chief of the Dead-Letter Office, was born at White River Junction, Vermont, and moved to Montpelier, the capital of the State, in early life. He commenced business as a merchant, and continued in trade till April, 1847.

In May, 1849, he was appointed Postmaster at Montpelier, by General Taylor, and was relieved from the office, at the close of the administration of President Fill

more.

In March, 1861, he was appointed to a position in the Dead-Letter Office, and has continued his connection with the office, until the present time. During his administration it has grown to be one of the most important branches of the postal service.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR-UNCLE SAM'S DOMESTIC ARRANGEMENTS.

Inadequate Accommodation in Heaven-Defects of our Great Public Buildings-The Public Archives-Valuable Documents in Jeopardy-Talk of Moving the Capital-A Dissension of a Hundred Years-Concerning Certain Idiots-A Day in the Patent Office--The Inventive Genius of the Country-Aggressions of the Home Department-A Comprehensive Act of Congress-Seven Divisions of the Department of the InteriorThe Disbursing Division--Division of Indian Affairs-Lands and Railroads-Pensions and Patents-Public Documents-Division of Appointments-The Superintendent of the Building-The Secretary of the Interior and his Subordinates-Pensions and their Recipients-Indian Affairs-How the Savages are Treated-Over Twenty-one Million of Dollars Credited to their Little Account-The Census Bureau-A Rather Big Work-The Bureau of Patents-What is a Patent?-A Self-supporting Institution-A Few Dollars Over-The Use Made of a Certain Brick Building Secretary Delano-An Objection Against Him-How Wickedly he Acted to the Women Clerks-" The Accustomed Tyranny of Men "-Cutting Down the Ladies' Salaries-Making Places for Useful Voters A Sweet Prayer for Delano's Welfare-Something about Delano's Face.

IT has always been a mystery to me how Heaven could continue large enough for all the people who are trying to get into it, that is, if the human race is to keep on being born.

I am equally puzzled about the internal spaces of our great public buildings. When designed, they were supposed to be ample for centuries to come; but with the constant creation of new bureaus, and even of depart

ments, with the fast and never-ceasing accumulations of records in every branch of the Government service, not a public building in Washington is now large enough to hold the archives, or even the employés belonging to its own department. Already the city is filled with temporary buildings, in which the overflow of the various departments have taken refuge. Even now, every public building needs a duplicate as large as itself to hold its treasures, and to carry on fitly the intricate machinery of its routine service. The constant cry of "Capital moving" has not only prevented this, but has caused the precious records of the departments to be packed into precarious and insufficient store-houses.

The public archives should all be stored in fire-proof buildings. The destruction of the titles to all the lands in the country sold by the Government would involve a loss greater than the cost of all Washington city. And yet, as they are stored at present, any morning you may hear that there is nothing left of them but ashes.

What madness to talk of moving the Capital! What idiots to breed another dissension of a hundred years as to where another Capital shall be, instead of making the most and best of the majestic one, bought at such cost, that already is!

Well, a day in the Patent-Office has caused this outburst. This building was built for the protection and display of the inventive genius of the country. But that genius finds itself fearfully "cabined and confined,” and almost crowded out by the elephantine proportions of the Home Department, which needs, almost beyond any other, a vast building of its own, all to itself. At first a single room was demanded for the Secretary of the Inte

INVENTIVE GENIUS CORNERED."

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rior. The needs of his department were such, he has gone on annexing room after room of the noble PatentOffice, till its "inventive genius" finds itself crowded into a very small corner of the majestic building built with the proceeds of its own industry.

March 3, 1849, Congress passed an act to establish the Home Department, and enacted that said new executive branch of the Government of the United States should be called the Department of the Interior, and that the head of said Department should be called Secretary of the Interior, and that the Secretary should be placed upon the same plane with other Cabinet officers.

This act transferred to the Secretary of the Interior the supervisory power over the office of the Commissioner of Patents, exercised before by the Secretary of State; the same power, over the Commissioner of the General Land-Office, held previously by the Secretary of the Treasury; the same over the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which had been under the supervision of the Secretary of War; the same over the acts of the Commissioner of Pensions, who had previously reported to the Secretary of the Navy; also over the marshals and orders of taking and returning the census, previously managed by the Secretary of State; the same over accounts of marshals, clerks and officers of courts of the United States, previously exercised by the Secretary of the Treasury. The same act relieved the President of the duty of supervising the acts of the Commissioner of Public Buildings, placing that gentleman under the directions of the Interior Department; giving the Secretary control over the Board of Inspectors and the Warden of the Penitentiary of the District of Columbia.