nected with it. On their fidelity are dependent interests beyond estimate, and they have fully met the expectation of the department and the requirements of the public. If we have, as we claim, a postal service to which there is none superior, then to these employés is due their share of the credit. It is to be hoped that this will be recognized not only by the public but by Congress. Very respectfully, Hon. THOS. J. BRADY, Second Assistant Postmaster-General. THEO. N. VAIL, General Superintendent. REPORT OF THE THIRD ASSISTANT POSTMASTER-GENERAL. POST-OFFICE DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF THIRD ASSISTANT POSTMASTER-GENERAL, Washington, November 1, 1878. SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of this office for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1878, and to invite your attention to the subjoined tables, numbered from 1 to 17, inclusive, forming part of the same, viz: No. 1. Estimates of the expenditures and revenues of the Post-Office Department for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1880, with explanatory papers, marked No. 1a to No. 1k. No. 2. Statement showing appropriations and expenditures by items for fiscal year ending June 30, 1878. No. 3. Statement exhibiting the receipts and expenditures under appropriate heads, by quarters, for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1878, compared with the fiscal year ended June 30, 1877. No. 4. Receipts and disbursements at Treasury depositories during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1878. No. 5. Receipts and disbursements at depository post-offices on account of the fiscal year ended June 30, 1878. Nos. 6 and 7. Postage-stamps, stamped envelopes, newspaper-wrappers, and postal cards issued during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1878. No. 8. Statement of the official postage-stamps and stamped envelopes furnished each of the executive departments during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1878. No. 9. Statement showing the increase in the issues of postage-stamps, stamped envelopes, newspaper-wrappers, and postal cards for the year ended June 30, 1878, over those of the preceding year. No. 10. Statement showing amount of dead mail-matter treated in the division of Dead Letters during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1878. No. 11. Statement showing the disposition of opened letters during the year ended June 30, 1878. No. 12. Statement showing the amount, classification, and disposition of unmailable matter received during the year ended June 30, 1878. No. 13. Statement showing the number of foreign dead letters received and disposed of during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1878. No. 14. Statement showing the detailed classification and disposition of dead letters containing valuable inclosures for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1878. No. 15. Statement showing the number of registered letters_transmitted through the mails from each State and Territory in the United States during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1878. No. 16. Statement showing the operations of the registered-letter system at the cities of New York, Chicago, and Washington during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1878. No. 17. Statement showing the number and value of registered packages forwarded during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1878, for the PostOffice and Treasury Departments. OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU. The work of this office is distributed among the divisions of Finance, of Postage Stamps, of Dead Letters, of Registration, and of Files and Records, details of the operations of which are presented as follows: DIVISION OF FINANCE. The appropriations for the service of this office during the fiscal year amounted to $1,151,150, and the expenditures to $752,232.01, leaving an unexpended balance of $398,917.99, or 34.6 per cent. of the appropriations. This large saving was due principally to the fact that shortly subsequent to the time the appropriations were made new contracts were entered into for adhesive postage-stamps, postal cards, and other supplies at a large reduction from the old contract rates on which the appropriations were based. The estimated amount of appropriations required to conduct the serv ice of the office for the coming fiscal year is $884,400, an increase of $61,700, or 7 per cent., over the amount appropriated for the current year. A detailed explanation of the estimates will be found among the papers accompanying the table (No. 1) of estimates attached to this report. The receipts and expenditures of the department during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1878, as shown by the books of this division, were as follows: Letter-postage, paid in money. Fines and penalties.... Receipts. Postage-stamps, stamped envelopes, newspaper-wrappers, and postal cards Dead letters. Revenue from money-order business Miscellaneous Total The total expenditures for the service of the year were.. $284, 035 40 1,358, 448 39 6, 442 87 27, 375, 593 12 8,937 01 209, 647 89 34, 412 27 29, 277,516 95 33,874, 647 59 4,597, 130 64 An excess over the receipts appertaining to and for the last fiscal year supplied out of appropriations from the Treasury of... The expenditures given above do not include the sum of $290,436.90 paid on liabilities incurred during previous fiscal years. The total receipts for the year were $1,745,931.69 (or 5.9+ per cent.) more than those of the preceding year, and $1,367,648.05 (or 4.4+ per cent.) less than the estimates therefor. The difference between the amount of revenue received and the amount estimated is largely due to the fact that the latter included the sum of $750,000, to be appropriated out of the general Treasury, for official postage stamps for use of the Post-Office Department; but Congress having failed to make the appropriation, the amount of such stamps used by this department consequently did not become available as revenue. Excluding official postage-stamps and money-order receipts from both fiscal years, there is an increase of ordinary receipts over past fiscal year of $1,774,500.22, or about 6.1 per cent. Table No. 3, which accompanies this report, shows the receipts and ex |