The whole number of applications, under this act, for land, is Total... These applications have been disposed of as follows: Warrants for 160 acres each have been issued in...... Warrants for 40 acres each have been issued in... Certificates for scrip of $100 each, in lieu of land, in.. Certificates for scrip of $25 each, in lieu of land, in. Certificates for money of $100 each, in lieu of land, in.. Certificates for money of $25 each, in lieu of land, in.. Applications suspended or rejected... 93,144 4,340 97,484 The total amount of land warrants already issued under this act for services in the Mexican war, will cover 13,008,840 acres. The amount of money paid in lieu of land is..... $3.238 3. Bounties under the acts of September 28, 1850, and March 22, 1852. The number of applications in the hands of the examiners and at the rolls on the 30th day of September, 1853, was........ Applications under the act of September 28, 1850, have been received during the year ending September 30, 1854, as follows: For service in the war of 1812. 3,619 9,854 For service in the Florida and other Indian wars... 604 war 183 10,641 The whole number of applications under the act of March 22, 1852, is ... Applications on the suspended files September 30, 1853..... 50,713 1,328 66,301 These applications have been thus disposed of, to wit: The number of warrants issued upon them under act of September 28, 1850, to September 30, 1854, is.. 13,773 2,593 188 The number issued under act of March 22, 1852, is. 49,747 66,301 Duplicate and triplicate warrants have been issued during the year as follows: Under act of September 28, 1850, seventy-three for 160 acres each, one hundred and fifty for 80 acres each, and one hundred and eighty four for 40 acres each. Under act of March 22, 1852, four for 160 acres each, three for 80 acres each, and sixteen for 40 acres each; making a total of four hundred and thirty warrants. Warrants have been cancelled during the year as follows, to wit: under act of September 28, 1850, ninety warrants for 160 acres each, two hundred and forty-seven for 80 acres each, and five hundred and forty-three for 40 acres each. Under act of March 22, 1852, ten warrants for 160 acres each, fourteen for 80 acres each, and thirty for 40 acres each. The whole number of warrants cancelled is nine hundred and thirty-four, for fifty-nine thousand eight hundred acres of land. The whole number of applications for land bounty, under the act of September 28, 1850, to September 30, 1854, is as follows: For services in the war of 1812... 181,726 For services in the Indian wars since 1790.... 47,705 3,734 The number under act of March 22, 1852, to same date.. 13,966 Total. 247,131 Upon these applications the following action has been had : Warrants issued for 160 acres each... Warrants issued for 80 acres each... Warrants issued for 40 acres each.. 27,997 58,408 110,791 188 49,747 Total... 247,131 Warrants covering 13,583,800 acres of land have already been issued under the acts of September 28, 1850, and March 22, 1852. The total amount of land warrants issued to the soldiers of all the wars since 1790 contain 31,427,612 acres. The practice of presenting duplicate applications for land from different States, or for different periods of service from the same State, by the same person, has been detected in this division. Instances have been discovered where the same individual has obtained two and three warrants in this way. To guard against this abuse, and for other purposes, it has been deemed advisable to make a complete alphabetical index of all applications presented to this office, with an analysis of the service and the action of the office in each case. This work has been commenced, and though it is one of great labor, yet it has been found, so far as completed, of greater assistance in detecting attempts at fraud in this branch of our business than was expected, and of sufficient importance to warrant its completion. The subject of the frauds upon this bureau attracted the attention of Congress during its last session, and a call was made upon the Secretary of the Interior for information concerning them. In answer to this call a detailed report from this office was on the 15th day of May last submitted to you, giving a statement of the operation of this bureau from the 1st of April, 1853, to that date. The following extracts from that report give a summary of the number and extent of the frauds in revolutionary cases, and the number of persons detected in fraudulent practices then discovered : * "From the preceding statements it will be seen that frauds in revolutionary cases have been detected in ten States; that fifty-four cases have been found to be fraudulent, of which twenty-nine have been admitted and twenty-five rejected. The amount of money abstracted from the treasury in these cases is $68,232, and the amount claimed in cases that have been rejected because of their being frudulent is $44,042." "The whole number of persons connected with the frauds upon this bureau, that have been detected under such circumstances as to leave no reasonable doubt of their guilt, is twenty-six. Of this number seven have been convicted and sentenced to hard labor in the penitentiary; one has died; one has committed suicide; six have forfeited their bonds and fled their country; nine are now waiting their final trial; and two against whom bills of indictment have been found have not yet been arrested." Since the date of this report six fraudulent revolutionary cases have been detected, and traced to one person, who has been arrested, held to bail, and has forfeited his bond, amounting to the sum of $5,000. Three persons have been detected in presenting fraudulent papers in applications for bounty land, and have been arrested and held to bail. One of them has forfeited his bond. The number of persons against whom bills of indictment have been found, up to September 30, 1854, is thirty. Nine of these have been convicted; eight have forfeited their bonds and fled; one has died; one has committed suicide; two have not yet been arrested; and nine await their final trial. Several cases have been discovered which are clearly fraudulent, but which have not been prosecuted, because the fraudulent acts were committed more than two years before the discovery was made. The importance of changing the statute of limitations in regard to these offences was noticed in my last annual report. I can only repeat the earnest recommendation theu made. The current business of this bureau was brought up to date about the first of December last, and has been kept up since that time. The attainment of this desirable object is mainly attributable to the energy and industry of the clerical force, which is now fully adequate for all the service required of this bureau. The general fidelity of the gentlemen composing this force, deserves and receives my commendation. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, L. P. WALDO, Commissioner of Pensions. Hon. R. MCCLELLAND, Secretary of the Interior. PENSION OFFICE, October 10, 1854. SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith the annual statements relative to the business of this office for the past year. The statement marked A, shows the number and annual amount of original applications for pensions, and for increase of pensions, which have been admitted during the year ending June 30, 1854. In the statement marked B, will be found the amount disbursed by pension agents, under each act, to all the pensioners on the roll in the several States, including those admitted during the year ending June 30, 1854. Statement marked C, exhibits the total amount to be paid to pensioners who have been admitted during the year ending June 30, 1854, being the amount of arrearages due previous to and at the date when the pension certificates were issued. Statement marked D, shows the number of pensioners, under each act, who were on the rolls of the several States on the 30th June, 1854, and who have been paid within the "fourteen months" previous to that date, together with the annual amount payable to them. It also contains the number of deaths reported during the year, and the number transferred to the Treasury Department, under the act of August 23, 1842. Statement marked E, shows the balances and amount of funds in the hands of navy pension agents, at the date of their last returns, on account of invalids, widows, and orphans. The statement marked F, shows the number of persons now on the rolls of the several States and Territories, exclusive of navy pensioners, under the various acts of Congress. Statement marked G, shows the number of persons that have been added to the rolls since the last annual report. The number of pensioners, the reports of whose deaths have reached us since the last annual returns, will be found in the statement marked H. In the statement marked I, will be found the number of pensioners who have been paid in the first and second quarters of the present calendar year. Statement marked J, exhibits the unexpended balances in the hands of the agents for paying pensioners at the date of their last reports. The paper marked K, contains a statement of the balances of appropriations for paying pensioners, in the treasury, on the 30th September, 1854; the amount necessary to be expended in the last three quarters of the present fiscal year; and the amount that may be carried to the service of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1855. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, L. P. WALDO, Commissioner Hon. R. McCLELLAND, Secretary of the Interior. |