Following is the summary of reports from each station during the fiscal year: Portland, Me.-Number of immigrants inspected, 596; rejected, none. Boston, Mass.-Number of immigrants inspected from Europe, 9,474; from Canada, 2; total, 9,476. Number rejected, 36. Causes for rejection: New York, N. Y.-Number of immigrants inspected, 198,519; physically examined and sent to hospital for treatment, 1,097; rejected and sent before board of special inquiry for action, 883; certified to and sent before board of special inquiry for action, 504. Of the above number of rejected cases, 396 have been deported for the following causes: Favus Trachoma Syphilis.. Causes for rejection: Skoliosis of spine Philadelphia, Pa.-Number of immigrants inspected, 8,927; rejected, 37. 2 1 Baltimore, Md.-Number of immigrants inspected, 10,978; number rejected, 2. Causes of rejection: Acute mania.......... 1 Imbecile.... 1 New Orleans.-Number of immigrants inspected, 1,624; number rejected, none. Galveston, Tex.-Number of immigrants inspected, 369; number rejected, 2 (kyphosis, 1; deafness, 1). San Francisco, Cal.-Number of immigrants inspected, 2,274; number rejected, 1. Portland, Oreg.-Number of immigrants inspected, 126. No rejections. THE TRANS-MISSISSIPPI EXPOSITION AT OMAHA, NEBR. In response to an invitation to make a Service exhibit at the TransMississippi and International Exposition, which was held at Omaha, Nebr., June 1 to November 1, 1898, an exhibit of the various operations of the Marine-Hospital Service was prepared and forwarded to the Government building at the exposition. This exhibit was very similar in character to that prepared for and shown at the exposition in 1897 at Atlanta, Ga., and was installed by Passed Assistant Surgeon Kinyoun, who was largely instrumental in arranging it. Afterwards it was under the charge of Asst. Surg. Hill Hastings until the increased work of the Service during the late summer made it impossible to continue the detail of a regular officer at the exposition, and accordingly Dr. Hastings was relieved late in August and was replaced at the exposition by a noncommissioned officer. SHELTER FOR DECK CREWS ON WESTERN RIVERS. This subject, which has been treated of in the annual reports of the Service for 1873, 1874, 1876-77, 1882, 1895, 1896, and in my last report, is one of special interest to the Service, on account of the large number of cases of illness among those employed on boats plying on the Western rivers which can be attributed directly to the lack of shelter for the crews. As stated in my last report to you during the previous session of Congress, a bill had been passed and had received the approval of the President, March 3, 1898, which enacted that * every steamboat of the United States plying upon the Mississippi River or its tributaries shall furnish an appropriate place for the crew, * providing sleeping room in the engine room of the steamboat properly protected from the cold, winds, and rain by means of suitable awnings or screens on either side of the guards or sides and forward * and shall be properly heated. * * On the 21st of June, 1898, the following circular was issued to masters and owners of Western river steamers and inspectors of steam vessels on the Mississippi River and tributaries: TO PROVIDE SLEEPING ROOM FOR CREWS OF STEAMERS PLYING THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND TRIBUTARIES. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF THE SUPERVISING INSPECTOR-GENERAL, Washington, D. C., June 21, 1898. To Masters and Owners of Western River Steamers, and Inspectors of Steam Vessels on the Mississippi River and Tributaries: Your attention is called to the following extract from section 2 of the act of Congress appoved March 3, 1897: AN ACT to amend the laws relating to navigation. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled: * SEC. 2. That * * on and after June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninetyeight, every steamboat of the United States plying upon the Mississippi River or its tributaries shall furnish an appropriate place for the crew, which shall conform to the requirements of this section so far as they shall be applicable thereto by providing sleeping room in the engine room of the steamboats properly protected from the cold, winds, and rain by means of suitable awnings or screens on either side of the guards or sides and forward, reaching from the boiler deck to the lower or main deck, under the direction and approval of the Supervising Inspector-General of Steam Vessels, and shall be properly heated. Any failure to comply with this section shall subject the owner or owners to a penalty of five hundred dollars. Local inspectors of steam vessels will, on and after July 1, 1898, require the master, owner, or agent of all steamers navigating on the waters named in the act above quoted, to be furnished for the protection of the crews thereof "with suitable awnings or screens on either side of the guards or sides and forward, reaching from the boiler deck to the lower or main deck:" Provided, however, that steam vessels whose engine rooms are closed in by permanent joiner works, sides and bulkheads, such steamers will be deemed to be in compliance with law, without further equipment for the protection of their crews, other than the necessary sleeping accommodations. Such screens or awnings must be so arranged by fastening to the upper and lower decks sufficiently close as to shut out rain, or snow, or drafts of wind, and must extend along the sides, and also athwartships the vessel. The inclosed place required for crew may be located between the forward and after end of boiler deck, where most practicable and convenient to accomplish the object sought in the act herein quoted. Inspectors of steam vessels will promptly report to this office the refusal or neglect on the part of the master, owner, or agent of any steam vessel in their local district to comply with this law, and the regulations herein provided for, and shall also report such offense to the collector of customs, who will impose the penalty prescribed by law and forward to the Secretary of the Treasury any application that may be made for the remission of such penalty as provided in article 973 of the Regulations of 1892. Approved: O. L. SPAULDING, Acting Secretary. JAS. A. DUMONT, Supervising Inspector-General. In my report to the Secretary of the Treasury for the fiscal year 1896, I reported at length the case of two seamen of the steamer Anna B. Adams, who were admitted to the care of the United States MarineHospital Service at Shreveport, La., suffering with frost-bitten extremities as a result of enforced exposure, no shelter for the crews being provided. The matter was referred by Acting Assistant Surgeon Booth, in charge of relief at Shreveport, to the United States district attorney, and the master and mate of the steamer were indicted, but were acquitted under a technicality. (See Report of the Marine-Hospital Service, 1896, pp. 22, 23.) The following letter from Acting Assistant Surgeon Booth shows that judgment was finally given to the plaintiffs by the United States district court. OFFICE OF MEDICAL OFFICER IN COMMAND, M. H. S., SIR: I have the honor to inform you that among the admiralty decisions handed down on the 10th instant by United States district court for the eastern district of Louisiana, in New Orleans, were two of interest to this station, viz: Seaman Charles Evans . The Red River Line. Judgment for plaintiff for $1,000 and costs. Seaman John Reed v. Same. Judgment for $1,400 and costs. Seamen Evans and Reed were two of a number of the crew of the steamer Anna B. Adams, one of the boats of the Red River line, which left this port on or about February 5, 1895, and returned on the 9th with the whole deck crew more or less frost-bitten, as a result of cruelty of the mate. The United States court was then in session here. I brought the matter to the attention of the United States district attorney, and appeared before the grand jury, which resulted in the indictment of the mate under section 5347, United States Revised Statutes, The result of the trial is set forth in a letter from United States attorney, Hon. Charles W. Seals. (See Annual Report Marine-Hospital Service, 1896, pp. 22, 23.) From the decision of the court for the eastern district of Louisiana, on the 10th instant, it appears the judge erred in his instructions to the jury to acquit. It is to be hoped the recent judgments will have a salutary effect in restraining mates in their cruel acts and deeds upon the men, which was not had from the indictment and trial of the mate of the Anna B. Adams. I am, sir, very respectfully, A. R. BOOTH, Acting Assistant Surgeon M. H. S. SUPERVISING SURGEON-GENERAL MARINE-HOSPITAL SERVICE, Washington, D. C. REPORTED TO DEATHS OF SEAMEN OF FOREIGN COUNTRIES TO BE In order to facilitate the proper distribution of the effects of foreign seamen who die in this country or on American vessels, the Bureau of Navigation issued the following circular, copies of which have been forwarded to the officers of this Service for their information and compliance therewith. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, BUREAU OF NAVIGATION, To United States Shipping Commissioners and others: First. When the nationality of a deceased foreign seaman whose effects have been intrusted to your custody is ascertained by you, you will communicate the fact of the death of said deceased foreign seaman, and that his effects are in your custody, to the nearest consul of the nation of which the deceased seaman was a citizen or subject. Second. Upon application you may, in your judgment, then permit said consul in person to make such an examination of the effects as may tend to identify the deceased. Respectfully, yours, Approved: EUGENE T. CHAMBERLAIN, Commissioner. O. L. SPAULDING, Assistant Secretary. TONNAGE TAX. On July 19, 1898, the President issued a proclamation suspending the collection of tonnage duty upon vessels directly from the port of Copenhagen. The following circular was issued: TONNAGE DUES ON VESSELS FROM THE PORT OF COPENHAGEN. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, BUREAU OF NAVIGATION, To Collectors of Customs and Others: The attention of the officers of the customs is invited to the appended proclamation by the President, dated July 19, 1898, declaring that vessels may be entered in the ports of the United States from the port of Copenhagen, without the payment of tonnage dues, under section 11 of the act of June 19, 1886, as amended by the act of April 4, 1888. Vessels arriving from said port will hereafter be admitted to entry without the payment of said dues, unless they shall belong to a foreign country in whose ports the fees or dues imposed on American vessels or the import or export duties on their cargoes exceed the fees, dues, or duties imposed on the vessels of such country, or on the cargoes of such vessels. Certified statements may be forwarded for a refund of the dues on tonnage aforesaid, paid on the entry from the port of Copenhagen of vessels exempted from the tax, and which were entered at any port of the United States on or since July 19, 1898. The proclamation does not apply to vessels which entered before that date, and the dues on such vessels were lawfully levied, and will be retained. You are requested to notify this office of any tonnage tax, light-house dues, or other equivalent tax or taxes, which may be imposed hereafter on vessels of the United States in the port of Copenhagen; and you will exercise care to levy tonnage dues on all vessels from said port of any foreign country which discriminates in its ports, as mentioned above, and in the proclamation, against vessels of the United States or their cargoes, in favor of its own vessels. Information has been received showing that vessels belonging to Great Britain, Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Denmark, Holland, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, and Japan, arriving in the United States and entered from the port of Copenhagen only, may be admitted under the proclamation without payment of the dues above mentioned. Cases of vessels entering from Copenhagen and also from some other foreign place must be considered specially in connection with the regulations applicable. Whereas satisfactory proof has been given to me that no tonnage or light-house dues or any equivalent tax or taxes whatever are imposed upon vessels of the United States in the port of Copenhagen, in the Kingdom of Denmark: Now, therefore, I, William McKinley, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by section eleven of the act of Congress, entitled "An act to abolish certain fees for official services to American vessels, and to amend the laws relating to shipping commissioners, seamen, and owners of vessels, and for other purposes," approved June nineteenth, one thousand eight hundred and eighty-six, and in virtue of the further act amendatory thereof, entitled "An act to amend the laws relating to navigation and for other purposes," approved April fourth, one thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight, do hereby declare and proclaim that from and after the date of this, my proclamation, shall be suspended the collection of the whole of the tonnage duty which is imposed by |