of casualties in his own corps. It is hoped that these considerations will induce and extension of the practice of promoting by brevet, so as to recognize such meritorious services, and, in conjunction with the far more important consideration of the requirements of the public interest will cause favorable and speedy action at the next session of and adopted by the House of Representatives authorizing the appointment of additional officers of the Ordnance Department.

This department has seriously felt the want during our late extensive operations of a large arsenal and depot in the vicinity of the city of New York. The present arsenal on Governor's Island, which is the only ordnance depot in that harbor, besides being too near and in the way of the full use of the guns of Fort Columbus, has too contracted a space to answer even the purposes of a suitable depot. An arsenal and depot to supersede it should be so located as to have great facilities for access and egress, of the means of rapid transportation, so that supplies of the heaviest articles may be readily sent to or taken from it, while at the same time it should be safe by means of exterior defenses and sufficiently remhould also have attached, or convenient to it, sufficient ground to afford a good land range for experimental firing with the heaviest ordnance, exclusive of abundance of room for operations and storage purposes of an arsenal and depot, including large magazines for powder and fixed ammunition. The vicinity of New York, somewhere on the navigable waters entering that harbor and behind its existing defenses, appears to offer the most suitable sites for this purpose, and a preliminary examination of that locality has been ordered with a view to ascertain the most desirable positions. When this shall have been determined the acquisition of a proper site and the establishment of a suitable arsenal or depot for the objects stated will be made the subject of a special communication.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JAMES W. RIPLEY,

Brigadier-General and Chief of Ordnance.

Statement of ordnance, arms, ammunition, and other ordnance stores purchased since the beginning of the rebellion up to June 30, 1862.

Numbers 1. - CANNON AND MORTARS.

Field guns. Siege guns. Sea-coast

guns.

Cast-iron smooth-bore ... 103 264

cannon and mortars

Bronze cannon and 723 ... ...

howitzers

Parrott rifled cannon 411 108 38

Steel rifled cannon 53 ... ...

Wrought-iron rifled 421 ... ...

cannon

Total 1,608 211 302

Total. Total Cost.

weight.

Pounds.

Cast-iron smooth-bore 367 3,321,898 $252,310.49

cannon and mortars

Bronze cannon and 723 651,937 314,607.08

howitzers

Parrott rifled cannon 557 1,306,577 200,317.00

Steel rifled cannon 53
372,079 204,866.02

Wrought-iron rifled 421

cannon

Total 2,121 5,652,491 972,100.59