house, light-house, or other public building, the respective heads of the departments interested are directed by law to procure, upon application of the Attorney-General, whose opinion as to the validity of the title is required to be given, any additional evidence of title which he may deem necessary, and which may not be in the possession of the officers of the Government; the expense of procuring it to be paid out of the contingent fund of the departments respectively. (R. S., § 355.)

44. The head of any executive department may require the opinion of the Attorney-General on any questions of law arising in the administration of his department. (R. S., § 356.)

45. Copies of any books, records, papers, or documents in any of the executive departments, authenticated under the seals of such departments respectively, are entitled to be admitted in evidence equally with the originals thereof. (R. S., § 882.)

46. Whenever any claim is made against an executive department involving disputed facts or controverted questions of law, and the amount in controversy exceeds three thousand dollars; or where the decision will affect a class or furnish a precedent for future action in the adjustment of a class of cases, without regard to the sum involved in a particular case; or when any authority, right, privilege, or exemption is claimed or denied under the Constitution, the head of such department may cause such claim, with all the vouchers, papers, proofs, and documents pertaining thereto, to be transmitted to the Court of Claims. And the law requires that the same shall be there proceeded in as if originally commenced by the voluntary action of the claimant; provided that no case shall be referred by the head of a department, unless it belongs to one of the several classes of cases which, by reason of the subject-matter and

character, the said court might, under existing laws, take jurisdiction of on such voluntary action of the claimant. (R. S., 1063. See Delaware River S. B. Co. v. United States, 5 Nott & Hun., p. 55.)

47. The head of a department may refuse and omit to comply with any call of the Court of Claims for information or papers, when in his opinion a compliance would be injurious to the public interests. (R. S., § 1076.)

48. The head of any department may employ special agents charged with the disbursement of public moneys, who are required to give bond subject to his approval. (R. S., § 3614.)

49. The heads of departments, in communicating estimates of expenditures and appropriations to Congress or to any committee thereof, are required to specify as nearly as may be convenient the sources from which such estimates are derived, and the calculations upon which they are founded; and they are required to discriminate between such estimates as are conjectural in their character, and such as are framed upon actual information and applications from disbursing officers. They are required also to give references to any law or treaty by which the proposed expenditures are respectively authorized, specifying the date of each, and the page of the statutes and the section thereof in which the authority is to be found. In such estimates they are required to include such sums as may seem to them necessary for printing and binding, to be executed under the direction of the Congressional Printer. When in such estimates an appropriation is asked for the erection of a public building, or for the construction of any public work requiring a plan before the same may be completed, such estimates must be accompa nied by a full plan, and by detailed estimates of the cost of the whole work. All subsequent estimates must state

the original estimated cost, the aggregate theretofore ap propriated, the amount actually expended on the work, as well as the amount asked for the current year for which the appropriation is proposed to be made. They are required also to accompany their estimates by minute and full explanations of the reasons for a variance materially in amount from the appropriations ordinarily made for the object named, or for the introduction of new items and objects of expenditure. They are required also to designate, besides the amount required to be appropriated for the next fiscal year, the amount of the outstanding appropriation, if any, which will probably be required for each particular item of expenditure. (R. S., §§ 3660, 3661, 3663, 3664, 3665.) All annual estimates are required to be submitted to Congress through the Secretary of the Treasury, and to be included in that officer's book of estimates. (R. S., § 3669.)

50. The departments are respectively prohibited by law from expending in any one fiscal year any sum in excess of appropriations made by Congress for that year, and from involving the Government in any contract for the future payment of money in excess of such appropriations. And all sums appropriated are required to be applied solely to the objects for which the appropriations are made, and to no other purpose. (R. S., §§ 3678, 3679.)

51. All purchases of and contracts for supplies or serv ices in any of the departments, except contracts for per sonal services, are required to be made after advertising a sufficient time previously for proposals respecting the same, when the public exigency does not require the immediate delivery of the articles or performance of the service; in which case they may be obtained by open purchase or contract at the places and in the manner in which such articles are usually bought and sold, or such services are engaged, as between individuals. (R. S., § 3709.)

52. It is unlawful for any of the executive departments to make contracts for stationery or other supplies for a longer term than one year from the time the contract is made. (R. S., § 3735.)

53. All printing, binding, and blank books for the Executive and Judicial Departments are, except as otherwise provided by law, required to be done at the Government printing-office; and no advertisement, notice, or proposal for any executive department or office thereof may be published in any newspaper whatever, except in pursuance of a written authority for such publication from the head of such department; and no bill for the same can be paid, according to law, unless there be presented with such bill a copy of the written authority. (R. S., §§ 3786, 3828.)

Moneys appropriated for contingent, incidental, or miscellaneous purposes, are not to be expended or paid for official or clerical compensation. (R. S., § 3682.)

Any officer of the Government who knowingly contracts for the erection, repair, or furnishing of any public building, or for any public improvement, to pay a larger amount than the specific sum appropriated for such purpose, is subject by law to punishment by imprisonment for not less than six months nor more than two years, and to the payment of a fine of two thousand dollars. (R. S., § 5503.)

54. The heads of the several departments are required to cause to be rendered all necessary and practicable aid to the Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries in the prosecution of his investigations and inquiries. (R. S., § 4397.)

CHAPTER III.

THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

55. This department takes precedence of each of the other executive departments by reason of its earlier creation. Under this name, it was provided for by act of Congress of July 27, 1789. It had existed previously, ⚫ however, under the designation of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The head of the department is the Secretary of State, with whom are immediately associated three officers, denominated respectively as follows: The Assistant Secretary of State, the Second Assistant Secretary of State, and the Third Assistant Secretary of State.

The officers subordinate to these are an Examiner of Claims, (who is the solicitor of the department,) the Chief Clerk, and four Chiefs of the following-named bureaus : The Consular Bureau.

The Diplomatic Bureau.

The Bureau of Accounts.

The Bureau of Indexes and Archives.

Following these are the clerks of the different classes, in number as provided by the appropriation acts of Congress. These clerks are distributed to the several bureaus mentioned, and are otherwise engaged in the work of the department.

I. THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

56. It is prescribed by the statutes that the Secretary of State shall perform such duties as shall from time to time