ed in quarters for which
the Government pays rent at the rate of $500 per annum, and the office
occupied by the collector of customs is rented for $75 per annum.

The Government has no other use for a public building at Annapolis than
is above indicated, and the chief argument urged why a building should
be constructed there is based upon the fact that this city is the
capital of the State of Maryland and should have a Government building
because most if not all the other capitals of the States have such
edifices.

There seems to be so little necessity for the building proposed for the
transaction of Government business, and if there is anything in the
argument last referred to it seems so well answered by the maintenance
of the Naval Academy at Annapolis, this bill is allowed to remain
inoperative.

["An act for the relief of J.A. Henry and others."--Received August 3,
1886.--Memorandum.]

This bill appropriates various sums to the parties named therein, being
claims of rent of quarters occupied during the war by the
Quartermaster's Department of the Army.

Among the appropriations there proposed to be made is one of the sum of
$51 to L.F. Green. This account has been once paid, a special act
directing such payment having been approved February 12, 1885. The fact
of this payment and important information bearing upon the validity of
some of the other claims mentioned in the bill could have been easily
obtained by application to the Third Auditor.

["An act for the relief of William H. Wheeler."--Received August 3,
1886.]

This bill directs the payment of the sum of $633.50 to William H.
Wheeler for quartermaster's stores furnished the Army in the year 1862.

From the data furnished me by the Quartermaster-General I am quite
certain that this claim has been once paid. The circumstances presented
to prove this are so strong that they should be explained before the
relief provided by this bill is afforded the claimant.

["An act granting a pension to Margaret D. Marchand."--Received August
5, 1886.--Memorandum.]

A bill presented to me for approval, granting a pension of $50 per month
to the beneficiary named, was disapproved upon the ground that the death
of her husband did not appear to be in any way related to any incident
of his military service.

This bill differs from the prior one simply in granting a pension
subject to the provisions and limitations of the pension laws instead of
fixing