plete.

He presented satisfactory evidence of his having left the service by
proper authority, and the charge of desertion has been removed and the
soldier furnished an honorable discharge.

No evidence has been presented to this office to establish that he was
erroneously charged with Government property.

If satisfactory evidence is furnished showing conclusively that this
soldier was erroneously charged with Government property, taken at time
of his reported desertion, the charge will be removed, and in that case
the inclosed act for his relief will be unnecessary.

ED TOWNSEND, _Adjutant-General_.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, _June 30, 1876_.

_To the Senate of the United States_:

I return herewith without my approval Senate bill No. 692, entitled
"An act to amend chapter 166 of the laws of the second session of the
Forty-third Congress."

The objections to affixing my signature to this bill may be found in the
report, which accompanies this message, of the Chief of Engineers of the
Army to the Secretary of War.

U.S. GRANT.

WAR DEPARTMENT, _Washington City, June 28, 1876_.

The PRESIDENT:

SIR: I have the honor to return herewith Senate bill No. 692, "to amend
chapter 166 of the laws of the second session of the Forty-third
Congress," and beg to invite your attention to the report of the Chief
of Engineers dated the 27th instant, copy inclosed, and for the reasons
stated in said report it is believed the bill should not become a law.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J.D. CAMERON, _Secretary of War_.

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, _June 27, 1876_.

Respectfully returned to the honorable the Secretary of War.

"An act to aid in the improvement of the Fox and Wisconsin rivers, in
the State of Wisconsin," approved March 3, 1875, contains the following
clause:

"In case any lands or other property is now or shall be flowed or
injured by means of any part of the works of said improvement heretofore
or hereafter constructed, for which compensation is now or shall become
legally owing, and in the opinion of the officer in charge it is not
prudent that the dam or dams be lowered, the amount of such compensation
may be ascertained in like manner," etc.

The dams referred to in the above clause are at the outlets of Lake
Winnebago, known as the Neenah or Menasha channels of the Lower Fox
River.

The officer of the Department of Justice appointed under the provisions
of the act re