failure of contractors; suits against delinquent officers and agents or their bondsmen; investigation of titles to land and tenements rented- to vessels to be chartered or purchased; preparing leases, bonds, charter-parties, contracts, agreements, &c. I recommend that for this purpose there be appointed a solicitor of the Quartermaster's Department.

With the small army which the country has heretofore maintained such legal questions as arise could be referred by the Secretary of War to the Attorney-General; but the cases on which the Quartermaster-General is required to decide, and in which investigation by a skillful legal adviser is needed, are now numerous, and it would be for the benefit of the service were such an officer provided and attached to the office.

OFFICE ROOMS.

The rooms assigned to this officer in Winder" Building do not afford space for the accommodation of its clerks or the filing of its records. The reports, returns, and accounts of an expenditure of many millions annually must all pass, through this office. Many of them after an examination which requires the papers to be kept in the office for months, are transmitted to the Treasury Department; but many are filed and preserved for reference in this office. They relate to public expenditures and are the records of the transactions of the Government and its officers- the evidence of the honest or dishonest application of vast sums of money and property of great value. The place of their deposit should be safe against fire or accident. It would not be safe for the Government or just of its officers, to deposit such records in buildings not permanent and fire-proof.

I recommend that Congress be asked to provide for the extension of Winder's Building to the north. The building is of simple and cheap construction, is fire-proof, and may ultimately be extended with advantage to cover the whole square on which it is situated.

GUN-BOAT FLEET.

Shortly after the outbreak of the rebellion, upon the requisition of Lieutenant-General Scott, with the approval of the Secretary of War, this department commenced the construction of a fleet of steam gun-boats for service on the Western rivers. The result was the creation., by construction purchase, or capture, of a fleet of forty-five vessels, of an aggregate burden of 19,464 tons; of a flotilla of thirty-eight mortar boats, or rafts, each fitted or a 13-inch sea-cost mortar; and one wharf-boat of 4,000 tons burden.

The fleet contained 3 iron-clad steam gun-boats of 1,000 tons each, 7 iron-clad steam gun-boats of 512 tons each, 8 wooden gun-boats and 2 steam-rams, besides, 13 steam-tugs of 30 tons each, used as tenders to the fleet.

The mortar boats, of which thirty-eight were built at Saint Louis, by direction of General Fremont, were rafts or blocks of solid timber, of sufficient burden to carry and permit to be served upon the deck of each, one 13-inch sea-cost mortar, using a charge of thirty pounds of powder.

The other vessels of the fleet served as tenders, dispatch boats, transports, ordnance, and magazine ships, hospital ships, and store-ships.

The fleet was commenced under the superintendence of Commander (now Captain) John Rodgers, of the U. S. Navy.