DEPARTMENT. A portion of a coun try.
In France, the country is divided into depait meats, which are somewhat similar to the counties in this country. The United States have been di. vided into military departments, including certain portions of the country. 1 Pet. 293. These de partments are, for the purposes for which they are created, under the immediate government of some officer, who is, in turn, responsible to his superior.
A portion of the agents employed by the executive branch of the United States gov ernment, to whom a specified class of duties is assigned.
The department of the interior has general super visory and appellate powers over the office of the commissioner of patents ; in relation to the land of fice; over accounts of marshals, clerks, and other officers of the United States courts; over the com missioner of Indian affairs; over the commissioner of pensions; over the census; over the mines of the United States; over the commissioner of public buildings ; over the penitentiary of the Diatrict of Columbia.
The chief officer is a secretary, appointed by the president, and a chief and other clerks, appointed by the secretary, including a chief and other clerks in each of the bureaus among whom the duties of the department are divided.
The dep ',Intent of the navy is intrusted with the execution of such orders as may be received from the president relative to the procurement of naval stores and mat rials and the construction, arma ment, and equ pment of vessels of war, as well as all other matters connected with the naval esta blishment of the United States. Brightly, Dig. U. S. Laws, 680, 681.
The chief officers are a secretary and assistant secretary, appointed by the president : the secretary is to appoint such clerks as may be necesary of the classes specified by the act of March 3, 1853 (10 U. S. Stat. at Large, 209).
There are in the navy department five bureaus, each with a chief and a number of ekrks, viz.: a bureau of navy-yards and docks; a bureau of con struction, equipment, and repairs; a bureau of pro visions and clothing; a bureau of ordnance and hydrography; a bureau of medicine and surgery.
The poet-office department has tha general charge of matters relating to the postal service, the esta blishment of post-offices, appointment of post masters, and the like.
The chief officer is a postmaster-general. There are also three assistant postmasters-general, a chief clerk, three principal clerks, and thirty-three clerks of inferior grade, besides an auditor, and a chief clerk, four principal and thirty-eight subordinate clerks. The assistant postmasters-general are ap
pointed by the president, with the consent of the senate.
The department of state is intrusted with such matters relating to correspondences, commissions, and instructioos to or with public ministers or con suls from the United States, or to negotiations with public ministers from foreign states or princes, or to memorials or other applications from foreign public ministers or other foreigners, or to such matters respecting foreign affairs, as the president of the United States shall assign to said department. 1 U. S. Stat. at Large, 28.
The principal officer is a secretary, appointed by the president. An assistant secretary, a chief and twenty-one subordinate clerks, appointed by the secretary, are employed in the duties of the depart ment.
The department of treasury has charge of the services relating to the finances. It is the duty of the secretary to digest and prepare plans for the im provement and management of the revenue, and for the support of public credit; to prepare and report estimates of the public revenue and the public expenditures; to superintend the collection of the revenue; to decide on the forms of keeping and stating accounts and making returns, and to grant, under limitations established by law, all warrants for moneys to be issued from the treasury in pursuance of appropriations by law; to execute such services relative to the sale of lands belong ing to the United States as may bylaw be required of him; to make report and give information to either branch of the legislature, in person or in writing, respecting all matters referred to him by the senate or house of representatives, or which shall appertain to his office: and, generally, to per form all such services relative to the finances as he shall be directed to perform. The officers consist of a secretary, who is the head of the department, two comptrollers, six auditors, a treasurer, a regis ter, a commissioner of customs, a solicitor, an as sistant secretary, and numerous subordinate clerks. There are also assistant treasurers, appointed by the president, to reside in several of the more im• portant cities of the United States. There ie also a light-house board attached to this department.
The department of war is intrusted with duties relating to military commissions, the land forces, and warlike stores of the United States.
The chief officers are a secretary and assistant secretary, appointed by the president. There are also a chief clerk and numerous snbordinste clerks.