Resolved (as the sense of this house), That all public buildings hereafter to be erected for the use of the government shall be constructed of the hardest and most durable materials - either marble or granite.

NOTE, ACCOMPANYING THE REPORT, FROM ROBERT BROWN, SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS, TO HON. ZADOCK PRATT.

February 14, 1839.

SIR: In answer to your inquiries respecting the price of granite, marble, and freestone, I have the honor to state that granite, in the rough, delivered at the railroad depot, can be furnished at forty cents per cubic foot; and fine cut, for ashlar, for fifty cents per superficial foot, that is, ninety cents for stone and work, fine cut. The cost of split granite, with beds and joints, cut, is seventy-five cents per superficial foot for stone and work in ashlar, including fine work for doors and windows.

The lowest price at which marble could be procured, by contract, delivered in Washington, was one dollar and seventy-five cents per cubic foot, in the rough; and the price of cutting marble for plain ashlar is forty cents per superficial foot.

The cost of freestone, delivered at the wharf in Washington, is, all blocks under two and one-half tons, forty-three and one-third cents per cubic foot; over two and one-half and under three and one-half tons, fifty cents per cubic foot; all over three and onehalf tons, fifty-six and two-thirds cents per cubic foot; -averaging, throughout the building, about forty-six and one-half cents per cubic foot.

The price of cutting freestone for ashlar, plain face, thirty cents per superficial foot. Add for waste of freestone, from bursting by frost, patching clay-holes, white lead, &c.

Very respectfully, &c.

BUREAU OF STATISTICS AND COMMERCE.*

THE importance of statistical knowledge is proved by the circumstance that scarcely any civilized government exists in the world where a department or bureau has not been established, for the purpose of collecting, recording and arranging, statistical facts, and for the dissemination of correct information upon the fiscal, commercial, agricultural, and manufacturing interests of the respect

* Jan. 29, 1844. - On motion of Mr. Pratt, it was "Resolved, That a select committee of five members of this house be appointed to inquire into the expediency of establishing a Bureau of Statistics and Commerce, in connection with the treasury department;" which was done, and Mr. Pratt was appointed chairman of the same. On the 8th of March following, the committee presented this report, accompanied by the following bill:

"A BILL TO PROVIDE FOR THE COLLECTING OF NATIONAL STATISTICS. "Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Treasury be required to collect, arrange and classify, all statistical information, showing, or tending to show, the amount and value of the foreign, internal and domestic trade and commerce of the United States; and, in like manner, all statistical information relating to the agriculture, manufactures, internal improvement, currency and banks, of the several states, together with all other objects of a similar character; and that he annually make report thereof to the Congress of the United States.

"SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That, for the purpose of accomplishing the foregoing object, the Secretary of the Treasury be authorized to employ one clerk at sixteen hundred dollars per annum, and two clerks at twelve hundred dollars and one thousand dollars per annum, respectively.

"SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That a copy of the annual report hereby required to be made be furnished to the governor of each state and territory, and historical society, and to the principal colleges and universities of each state."

ive countries wherein such institutions are established. England, France, Austria, Prussia, Russia, Sweden, Belgium, &c., and several of the smaller powers of Germany and Italy, have, in some shape or other, and under various designations, long possessed the advantages of correct official information upon their several national statistics.

Although the United States differs in its political institutions from all other countries, there is nothing in the nature or character of those institutions adverse to the establishment of such a bureau as a subsidiary branch of one of its executive departments, or which would render the information that such a bureau would be the means of furnishing less acceptable or important to this country than it has been found to be to others. On the contrary, since the laws of the United States are framed for the benefit of the mass of the people, and not for the advantage exclusively of any particular class, the legitimate objects of such legislation will be most certain to be secured by the dissemination of correct information upon all points connected with the interests of each class of the population. Loose, conflicting, partial, and therefore oppressive legislation, will, of necessity, flow from enactments which are based upon partial and imperfect information; wrong will, unintentionally, be inflicted upon one branch of the community, whilst the desire has been to promote the interests of the others. According as information is obtained and disseminated respecting any particular interest, that interest will be attended to, and legislation will be based upon the ardent and able advocacy of that interest, sustained by the facts and the information which its friends may have accumulated, instead of proceeding from a general survey and consideration of the knowledge respecting every interest and every class of the community, which a Statistical Bureau would always have the means of supplying.

Correct and extensive statistical information is no less necessary to the mass of the people, in order that they may desire, appreciate

and understand correct legislation, than it is for the legislator, to enable him to comprehend and to promote the best interests of his constituents. The want of such a bureau- or, rather, the want of the information which it would be the means of collecting and disseminating — has long been felt and acknowledged; and by none more than by those members of the national legislature who have been anxious to legislate correctly and impartially, and thereby best advance the true interests of the nation. In many cases, the information which has been necessary, owing to the want of a systematic and regular arrangement of materials, cannot be procured but after very great delay; and, in some cases, no diligence or exertion of the department upon which the call has been made can furnish the necessary replies. There are now calls on some of the departments remaining unanswered, which were made two years ago; and such is the quantity of extra labor thrown upon. the departments by these calls for information, that, in one office, the number of extra clerks employed is greater than that of the regular clerks of the department.

But a Statistical Bureau would not only furnish the means of preventing these inconveniences and removing these impediments to judicious legislation, it would not only be found of incalculable advantage in giving information for the present, but it would collect, arrange and prepare the history of the past, and thereby supply the best means for judging correctly respecting the future. By means of an annual, well-digested and compact report, it would spread much most important information before the people; it would make them acquainted with the relative importance of every branch of agricultural produce, the value of each department of commercial enterprise, and the results of the varied employments of manufacturing skill. Each source of revenue, and each object of expenditure, would be placed before the public eye,— not in bulky documents, which, too often, contain only the materials of

information, and not the information itself, but in compact tables, easy of reference, sufficiently in detail to give ample information, and sufficiently compressed to inform, without wearying the eye, or unnecessarily burdening the memory.

What can be more desirable than to place before a free people a correct knowledge of the results of their institutions, the workings of the laws under which they live, the value of the policy of their legislators, and, consequently, the interest which they may have in continuing the support of that policy, or in recommending its alteration?

Thus, a Statistical Bureau would produce the following important and highly desirable results:

First. By furnishing correct and official information relating to all the great interests of the country, it would prevent unintentional partial legislation in favor of one or more, to the injury of the rest. The knowledge which such a bureau would annually present would form the safest basis for both national and state legislation.

Secondly. It would facilitate legislation, by supplying ready information to the national legislature upon all subjects on which it might wish to act. The replies given to all calls for information would be prompt; and, when compared with those which are now obtained, after weeks or months of delay, they would be found to be more complete and accurate, more compact and better digested, giving the information sought in a smaller compass and more convenient shape. Thus correct and ready information would be furnished to the inquirer; the hurry and inconvenience, and often injurious delay to the regular work of the departments, would be avoided; and the public service be promoted, by a more ready and accurate despatch of public business.

Thirdly. The establishment of such a bureau would greatly facilitate the business of the departments, by enabling the respective officers thereof to ascertain, by a brief inspection, the absolute