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1853, while holding the office and performing the duties of United States chargé d'affaires to Peru he was duly appointed and commissioned by the President as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of the United States to that Government, which, under the law as it then existed, entitled him to a salary of $9,000 per annum from the date of his new commission; but for want of an appropriation for that purpose he only received the former salary of $4,500 per annum up to the 30th June subsequent to the date of his new appointment. And he now asks that for the intervening period between the date of his commission as minister, etc., up to the 30th June, three months and fifteen days, he may be allowed the additional compensation due to his new grade.

In a letter from the Department of State, dated February 14, 1856, the Secretary fully sustains the accuracy of the statements of the memorial, and adds:

The practice of the Department prior to the enactment of the new diplomatic law of the 1st of March last was to allow a minister's salary to commence with the date of his commission, with the indulgence of from thirty to sixty days to make necessary arrangements for an absence from the United States. As Mr. Clay was at his post and received his commission without any suspension of official duty, I regard his claim to a compensation corresponding to his rank from the date of his commission as perfectly just, and recommend that an appropriation be made accordingly.

Regarding this claim just and in accordance with the previous usage of the Government, the committee report a bill in his favor and recommend its passage.

[See pp. 667, 677.]

May 14, 1856.

[Senate Report No. 170.]

Mr. Mason made the following report:

The Committee on Foreign Relations, to whom was referred the petition of Horatio J. Perry, esq., late United States secretary of legation at Madrid, praying additional compensation for services performed by him as acting chargé d'affaires, have had the same under consideration, and now report:

It appears from the petition that on four several occasions the duties of the United States legation at Madrid were devolved on Mr. Perry; first, from the 3d July to the 24th October, 1852, during the absence of the minister, Mr. Barrenger; second, from the 4th September to the 22d October, 1853, the interval between the recall of Mr. Barrenger and the entrance of Mr. Soulé upon the duties of the mission; third, from the 29th August to the 2d December, 1854, during the absence of Mr. Soulé on public business; and fourth, from the 1st February to the 17th June, 1855, the interval between the recall of Mr. Soulé and the entrance of Mr. Dodge upon the duties of the mission, embracing a period in all of about thirteen months; that the performance of those duties involved a considerable increase of his necessary expenses, and that during the whole period he only received the ordinary compensation allowed to a secretary of legation.

These statements of the petition are fully supported by a letter from the Secretary of State, dated March 26, 1856, in which he adds:

That Mr. Perry is fairly entitled to compensation beyond what he has received for the services rendered by him to the Government there can not be a doubt, whether regard be had to the character of his services or to the compensation not unfrequently allowed to others on like occasions.

Regarding this case as being fully within the principle established by precedent in similar cases, the committee report a bill in favor of the claimant and recommend its passage.

[See p. 721.]

May 14, 1856.

[Senate Report No. 171.]

Mr. Mason made the following report:

The Committee on Foreign Relations, to whom was referred the memorial of Charles E. Anderson, esq., late secretary of legation of the United States at Paris, praying additional compensation for services rendered and expenses incurred by him as acting chargé d'affaires during a portion of the time, have had the same under consideration and now report:

That it appears from the memorial that Mr. Anderson was appointed secretary of the legation of the United States at Paris in 1836, under General Cass, our minister at that court; that in March, 1837, on the departure of the minister for the Mediterranean and the Holy Land, he was presented to the court of Louis Philippe as chargé d'affaires of the United States ad interim, and that from that time till the return of General Cass to his post, a period of eight or nine months, the entire duties, responsibilities, and expenses of the legation devolved upon him.

These statements of the memorial are substantially sustained by a letter from the Secretary of State, dated February 20, 1855, which says: It appears from the records and files of this Department that Mr. Anderson acted as chargé d'affaires of the United States at Paris from the 1st of April until the 29th of November, 1837.

Regarding this claim as being fully within the principle heretofore established in similar cases, the committee report a bill for the relief of the claimant and recommend that it be passed.

[See pp. 671, 677.]

May 20, 1856.

[Senate Report No. 181.]

Mr. Mason made the following report:

The Committee on Foreign Relations, to whom was referred the petition of Peter Parker, esq., late secretary of legation and Chinese interpreter at Canton, have had the same under consideration and now report:

In his petition Mr. Parker states that in consequence of the vacan

cies in the office of commissioner to China, he acted and was recognized by the Government of the United States as chargé d'affaires ad interim for the following periods, viz: From May 26, 1852, to January 31, 1853; from January 27, 1854, to April 14, 1854, and from December 9, 1854, to May 4, 1855, during which time he only received the compensation allowed to the secretary of legation and Chinese interpreter, viz, $2,500 per annum, and now asks that he may be allowed the difference between that amount and the usual salary of a chargé d'affaires.

A letter from the Secretary of State, dated May 13, 1856, fully corroborates the statements of the petitioner, and the committee, regarding this case as clearly within the principle heretofore acted upon in similar cases, report a bill in favor of the petitioner and recommend its passage.

[See pp. 696, 721, 722, 731.]

May 20, 1856.

[Senate Report No. 182.]

Mr. Mason made the following report:

The Committee on Foreign Relations, to whom was referred the memorial of J. E. Martin, esq., acting consul of the United States, praying compensation for diplomatic services, have had the same under consideration, and now report:

It appears from the memoral that on July 19, 1850, on the recall of Mr. J. B. Clay, chargé d'affaires of the United States at Lisbon, the archives of the legation were placed in the hands of the memorialist, then the acting consul of the United States at that port; that from that time to June 15, 1851, when Mr. C. B. Haddock, the successor of Mr. Clay, arrived in Lisbon, the entire duties and responsibilities of the legation rested upon and were performed by him; that during that time the fees and emoluments derived from the consulate were insufficient to pay the current expenses of the office, and that he has received no compensation whatever for the additional duties and responsibilities devolved upon him by having the charge of the legation.

The statements of the memorial are fully sustained by a letter from the Secretary of State, dated February 29, 1856, as to the time during which the affairs of our legation at Lisbon remained in Mr. Martin's charge, and the justice of his claim for compensation is strongly urged in a letter from Mr. Haddock, United States chargé d'affaires at Lisbon, dated January 18, 1853.

Regarding this case as being within the principle heretofore established in the allowance of similar claims, the committee report a bill for the relief of the memorialist and recommend its passage.

[See pp. 642, 671.]

May 23, 1856.

[Senate Report No. 187.]

Mr. Mason made the following report:

The Committee on Foreign Relations, to whom was referred the memorial of Joseph Graham, United States consul at Buenos Ayres, praying compensation for diplomatic services, have had the same under consideration, and now report:

The claimant alleges in his memorial that as consul of the United States at Buenos Ayres he was placed in charge of the legation by Mr. Pendleton, the chargé d'affaires of the United States at that place, August 3, 1852, when the latter gentleman left his post on a special mission to Montevideo. That he was duly presented and recognized as the chargé d'affaires of the United States, performed all the duties, and incurred all the expenses and responsibilities of that office from that time to October 20, 1854, when Mr. Peden, the successor of Mr. Pendleton, entered upon the duties of the legation. He admits that Mr. Pendleton returned from his mission to Montevideo September 11, 1852, and remained until the 25th of November following, and that he also returned from his special mission to Paraguay March 26, 1853, and remained at his post until his return to the United States; but alleges that subsequent to his own recognition as chargé d'affaires by the Government of Buenos Ayres, and during the absence of Mr. Pendleton, a revolution occurred in that country and a new party came into power, by which he was recognized as chargé d'affaires, and consequently he continued to act in that capacity even while Mr. Pendleton was at his post.

The Secretary of State, in a letter to the Hon. Thomas H. Bayly, chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, dated February 9, 1854, says:

That on the departure of Mr. Pendleton from his post, on a special mission to the upper provinces of the Argentine Confederation, Mr. Graham was officially announced to, and recognized by, the Government of Buenos Ayres, as chargé d'affaires during Mr. Pendleton's absence, and in that character corresponded with the Government and with this Department from August 3, 1852, until the 11th of the following month.

On November 25, 1852, Mr. Pendleton again left Buenos Ayres for the Republic of Paraguay, and was absent until the 26th of March following. During this interval Mr. Graham addressed dispatches to this Department in the character of chargé d'affaires, and although there is no evidence on file to show that he was officially presented to the Government, it appears that he was recognized in that capacity.

And in a letter to the chairman of this committee, dated May 12, 1856, the Secretary of State, after referring to the "continuous diplomatic service from August 3, 1852, until the arrival of Mr. Peden, that is, to October 20, 1854," which "Mr. Graham represents himself as having performed," as being for "a considerable part of the time at the most constructive, and not justly entitled to that consideration which Mr. Graham attached to it," adds:

I am of the opinion, however, that Mr. Graham is entitled to compensation in a diplomatic character during Mr. Pendleton's absences, mentioned in my letter to Mr. Bayly [above referred to], and from Mr. Pendleton's presentation of him on March 31, 1854, to the 20th of October of the same year.

Acting upon the principle heretofore established in similar cases, the committee report a bill in favor of the claimant, allowing compensation for the several periods the United States had no other diplomatic agent at Buenos Ayres, and recommend its passage.

August 12, 1856.

[Senate Report No. 284.]

Mr. Weller made the following report:

The Committee on Foreign Relations, to whom was referred the petition of Dr. James Morrow, late agriculturalist attached to the squadron

under the command of Commodore Perry during his expedition to Japan, have had the same under consideration, and now report:

That it appears from his memorial and accompanying papers that some time in February, 1853, Dr. James Morrow, of South Carolina, was detailed by the Navy Department for the performance of such duty as might be assigned him in reference to the care and distribution of seeds and the use of agricultural implements, under the command of Commodore Perry, during his late expedition to Japan and the Chinese seas. That while engaged in that service, which continued for about two years, he did distribute large numbers of seeds to the inhabitants of Japan, Lew Chew, and other places, teach the proper mode of cultivating them to the natives, distribute agricultural implements used by us, with instructions how to use them, etc., and also collected a large number and variety of seeds and plants, the growth and production of those countries, many of which were new to us and promise to form a valuable addition to our agricultural and horticultural interests, carefully preserved and sent them home for distribution. That he also collected many specimens illustrative of natural history, now deposited in the national gallery at the Patent Office and at the Smithsonian Institution. That in the performance of those duties he necessarily incurred heavy expenses in traveling inland, hiring the protection of guards, etc. That at one time for a period of nearly four months during the expedition, owing to the indisposition of the surgeon and the general prevalence of sickness in the squadron, he was required to perform the duties of assistant surgeon.

That for all these various services he received no other compensation than is allowed to a master's mate ($300 per annum), at which rank he was rated-among the lowest grade of officers known to the naval service-for want of power in the Department to assign him any other, as stated by the Secretary of the Navy.

The value and importance of Dr. Morrow's services are fully recognized by the Department of State, both in regard to the agricultural and scientific interests of the country, and he therefore asks that a compensation adequate to those services may be allowed him.

That he is clearly entitled to it can not be denied. The committee therefore report a bill in his favor, and recommend its passage.

THIRTY-FOURTH CONGRESS, THIRD SESSION.

January 16, 1857.

[Senate Report No. 308.]

Mr. Slidell made the following report:

The Committee on Foreign Relations, to whom was referred the memorial of the executors of Gen. John Armstrong, deceased, of New York, late minister plenipotentiary of the United States at Paris, praying compensation for extra services performed by him during the continuance of his mission, have had the same under consideration, and now report:

That it appears from the memorial and accompanying papers that General Armstrong, then minister plenipotentiary of the United States at Paris, was, on the 17th March, 1806, appointed by his Government commissioner extraordinary and plenipotentiary in conjunction with James Bowdoin, then minister plenipotentiary at Madrid, "to meet, confer, and treat" with the proper officers of the Spanish Govern

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