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 prosecu. tion 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

be enjoined on or intrusted to him by the President, relative to correspondence, commissions, or instructions with or to public ministers or consuls from the United States; or to negotiations with public ministers from foreign States or princes; or to memorials or other applications from foreign public ministers or other foreigners; or to such other matters respecting foreign affairs as the President shall assign to the department; also that he shall conduct the business of the department in such manner as the President shall direct. (R. S., § 202.)

57. He has by law the custody and charge of the seal of the United States, as well as of the seal of the Department of State, and of the books, records, papers, and property appertaining to that department; and is required to affix the seal of the United States to civil commissions for officers of the United States appointed by the President. (R. S., §§ 203, 1794.)

58. He is to receive any bill, order, resolution, or vote of Congress which may become a law, and, as soon as conveniently may be, cause the same to be published in at least three public newspapers printed within the United States, and a printed copy of such law to be delivered to each Senator and Representative of the United States, and two printed copies duly authenticated to be sent to the Executive authority of each State; and he is required to carefully preserve the originals. (R. S., § 204; act Dec. 28, 1874, Stats. 18, p. 294.)

59. He is charged with the duty of causing the preparation for printing, publishing, and distribution of the Revised Statutes of the United States in a prescribed form, embracing head notes of the several titles and chapters, marginal notes referring to the statutes from which each section is compiled, references to decisions of courts, &c. He is charged also with the preparation, publication, and distri

bution of the laws passed at each session of Congress, and with the making of arrangements with booksellers for the sale to the public of the Revised Statutes at the Government price; and with the allowance to such booksellers such part of ten per cent. above the actual cost as he may deem just and reasonable. (Stats. 18, pp. 113, 329.)

60. When any amendment proposed to the Constitution of the United States has been adopted in accordance with the provisions of that instrument, and official notice has been received, he is required forthwith to cause the amend ment to be published, with his certificate specifying the States by which the same has been adopted, and declaring that the same has become valid as a part of the Constitution of the United States. (R. S., § 205.)

61. He is required to lay before Congress within ten days after each regular session a statement containing an abstract of all returns made to him pursuant to law by the collectors of the different ports, of the seamen registered by them, together with an account of such impressments and detentions as shall appear by the protests of the masters to have taken place. (R. S., § 207.)

62. He is required to lay before Congress annually— 1st. A statement, in a compendious form, of all such changes and modifications in the commercial systems of other nations, whether by treaties, duties on imports and exports, or other regulations, as shall have been communicated to his department, including all commercial information contained in the official publications of other governments which he shall deem of sufficient import

ance.

2d. A synopsis of so much of the information which may have been communicated to him by diplomatic and consular officers during the preceding year as he may deem valuable for public information, specifying the names of any

consuls or commercial agents who may have been remiss in transmitting commercial information.

3d. A full list of all consular officers.

4th. A report of any rates or tariffs of fees to be received by diplomatic or consular officers which may have been prescribed by the President during the year preceding.

5th. A statement of such fees as may have been collected, accounted for, and reported by the various diplomatic and consular officers during the preceding year.

6th. A statement of the lists of passengers arriving in the United States from foreign places, returned to him quarter-yearly by the collectors of customs.

7th. A statement of the names of any consular officers not citizens of the United States to whom salaries have been paid during the year preceding, exhibiting the circumstances under which they were appointed. (R. S., § 208.)

63. He must include in his annual statement of expenditures from the contingent fund of his department all contingent expenses of foreign intercourse and of all the missions abroad, except such expenditures as are settled upon the certificate of the President. (R. S., § 209.)

64. He is required to furnish to the Congressional Printer a correct copy of every act and joint resolution as soon as possible after it has become a law; also of every treaty between the United States and any foreign government, as soon as possible after it has been duly ratified and proclaimed by the President; and also of every postal convention made between the Postmaster-General, by and with the advice of the President, on the part of the United States, and foreign countries, as soon as possible after copies of such conventions have been transmitted to him by the Postmaster-General. (R. S., §§ 210, 3803.)

65. He is required to publish official notifications from