SOLDIERS' HOMES. The first institution of this character established by the U. S. government was founded by act of congress passed Mar. 3, 1851—" to found a mili tary asylum for the relief and support of invalid and disabled soldiers of the army of the The funds to conduct this institution originated in tribute levied by gen. Scott on the City of Mexico, after its capture, for time benefit of the U. S. army. The act referred to above defined the beneficiaries thereof to be soldiers who had served 20 years; pensioners, after surrendering their pensions; and persons disabled by wound„ or sickness incurred in the military service of their country.' Besides the stun of money already named, the act appropriated an unexpended balance of a previous appropriation to the same purpose, and placed the institution in charge of a board of commissioners, to include the-gen. of the army and those general officers commanding the eastern and western military divisions; and the chiefs of the medical, pay, commissary, and quartermaster's departments, and the adjt.gen. of the army. This portion of the act was revised by the act of Mar. 3, 1859, reducing the number of commissioners to include only the adjt.gen., surgeon-gen., and commissary-gen. of subsistence. Various tempo
rary asylums were erected or leased between 1851 and 1857. In 1851 a purchase of land was made for this purpose in the city of Washington, diitant about 3-1, in. from the capital; including, with later purchases, about 460 acres. This is, in fact, the only permanently established soldiers' home under the act of 1851. It comprehends a farm, orchards, gardens, park, etc.; the building is white mable, calculated to accommodate about 500 inmates at one time; and a chapel, well-stocked library, and hospital complete the excellent service of the institution. The number of inmates of this establishment up to the year 1878 was in the neighborhood of 2,000. Besides this one there were founded under the acts of 1865 and 1873 homes for volunteer soldiers of the war of 1861-65 in Chelsea, near Augusta, Me.; Hampton, Va.; Dayton, Ohio; and Milwaukee, Wie. Appropriations are made annually for the support of these institu tions. Similar institutions 'are the Chelsea hospital, Eng.; Kilmainham hospital, near Dublin; a like establishment in Berlin; and the hotel des invalides, Paris.