are recognized by the leading educators of the country, that, in their opinion, the Bureau should be re-established as a department, and its chief be made a member of the President’s cabinet.  The publications of the Bureau consist of (1) Annual Reports, which set forth statistics and general information concerning the educational systems of the States, Territories, larger cities, universities, and colleges; professional, special, and scientific schools, academies, preparatory schools and kindergartens, with a summary of the progress of education in foreign countries; (2) Special Reports, on subjects pertinent to the times; (3) Occasional Bulletins, on matters of current educational interest; (4) Circulars of Information, on important questions of educational work or history, which are issued in yearly series.  Under this last title there is now in course of publication a very valuable series of monographs upon the History of Higher Education in the various States.  These monographs are being prepared by competent scholars under the editorial supervision of Dr. H.B.  Adams of the Johns Hopkins University.  Numerous Annual Reports have been issued, and one is now in press, for the year 1889-90.  The working force of the Bureau is divided into three divisions:  (1) Records; (2) Statistics; (3) Library and Museum.  The library of this Office contains one of the most valuable pedagogical collections in the country.

The Commissioner of Railroads has charge of the government’s interests in certain railroads to which the United States has granted loans of credit or subsidies in lands or bonds.  By the acts of July 1, 1862, and July 1, 1864, Congress, in order to encourage the building of a trans-continental railroad, granted to several Pacific railroad companies subsidies in land adjacent to the roads, and issued certain amounts of bonds on which was guaranteed interest at the rate of six per cent.  The amount of lands given and bonds issued were in proportion to the number of miles of road constructed.  The lands were a gift.  The bonds were to be repaid by the companies with all interest which might have been advanced by the government.  From 1850 to 1872 the various railroads received a total of 155,504,994 acres of lands, and $147,110,069 proceeds of bonds and interest paid by the United States.  The roads have repaid of this amount $36,723,477, leaving at the present time due from the roads to the United States the sum of $110,386,592.  This they will be unable to pay upon the maturity of the bonds, and a bill has been before Congress for several sessions looking towards a better adjustment of this debt.  The Commissioner of Railroads was originally styled the “Auditor of Railroad Accounts.”  The office was created June 19, 1878.