lic Laws and Joint Resolutions have been carefully prepared, and are sufficiently full, except for professional use. Among those this year of special interest are the acts relative to the circulation of small notes as Currency in the District of Columbia; the Court of Claims; the Reform and Discipline of the Navy; the Payment of the Creditors of the Republic of Texas; the remodelling of the Diplomatic and Consular System; the new Postage Rates, and the Registration of Letters; the carriage of Passengers in Steamships and other Vessels; the provisions for the Insane of the Army and Navy; the Codifying the Laws of the District of Columbia; the carrying into effect the Reciprocity Treaty; the Salaries of the District Judges; the additional Bounty Lands; the conferring of the Title of Lieutenant-General by Brevet; the children of citizens born out of the United States; the Telegraph to the Pacific; and the Purchasers and Locators of Swamp Lands. The tabular view of the railroads in the country is continued from the last volume. There are also given a list of the Railroads in Canada, and a Table comparing the surveys of the different proposed routes to the Pacific. The comparative view of the debts, property, and general financial condition of all the States, has been corrected with great care from the latest official returns. The Life Annuity and other Tables will be found convenient and valuable for reference. The information concerning the Individual States is as full as in former years. It is believed that nowhere else can be found such full details respecting the Executive and Judiciary, the finances, schools, charitable institutions, and pauperism and crime, of the several States. Should any one note inaccuracies or deficiencies therein, he is urgently requested to correct them. The European part of the work, revised from the best authority to late dates, gives the several States of Europe, with their form of government, the name, title, and date of accession of the reigning sovereigns, the area and population of the several countries. It also gives the Royal Family, the Ministry, and the Judiciary of England. Fuller details in regard to the other States of Europe were prepared, but are necessarily postponed until another year. A Foreign Obituary for 1854 and 1855 is given. The Obituary Notices and Chronicle of Events have been prepared with care. The space is so limited, that many names and events which otherwise would be given are necessarily omitted. The thanks of the Editor are particularly due to the Heads of Department at Washington, and to his many contributors and correspondents, to whom the work is indebted for a great part of its value. A continuance of their favors is respectfully solicited. A work embracing such a multitude of facts must necessarily contain errors; persons who may detect any are earnestly requested to communicate them to the Editor. It is particularly desirable that these communications should not be anonymous. It is frequently a source of regret to the Editor, that he cannot suitably acknowledge the valuable hints and assistance of anonymous correspondents. It is a matter of some public interest, that a periodical which circulates so widely, both in Europe and America, and which is so universally trusted as a manual for reference, should be rendered as accurate as possible; and this end can be obtained only by the co-operation of many individuals. Communications should be addressed to the Editor of the American Almanac," Boston. Boston, Mass., December, 1855. Abstracts of Public Laws American Obituary .......... .............. 13 Dist. of Columbia, Act to codify Laws of 152 348 Eclipse of Moon, April 20. ..... American States ......................................... 342 Eclipse of Moon, October 13... Apportionment of U. S. Representatives Appropriations, U. S., for 1855, 1856. Army Officers, Pay of... Arsenals in the United States.. Assistant Treasurers Atmospherical Electricity. Breadstuffs, exports of, since 1820 California Gold.. ... ...... California Land Claims, Commission 95 Electricity, Atmospherical.. 110 Engineers in Navy, Pay of.. 115 Envoys Extraordinary, &c. 98 European States 65 Events, General, in 1854 1855. 223 Executive Government of U. S. 230, 231 34-36 35 36 34 35 204 65 36 110, 115 118 126, 130 47-52 3 345 366 369 97 165 207 177 172 174 .. 167 5 .206, 207 Expenditures of U. S. for 66 years ...... .86-92 Expenditures of each State 175 Exports of each State for 1853-54 ...... 217 Federal Representative Population 204 Finances of the States... 155 Fixed Stars, Apparent Places of Principal 55 3 Flowering of Fruit-trees in 1855 295 94 86-92 Georgia ...... 369 ...... Cities, Principal, Population of some.... Claims, Court of.. 143, 232 General Events in 1854 Clerks of Circuit & District Courts of U.S. 123 66 Coinage of Mint since 1792 .... 218 Government, Seats of, in different States. 204 Commissioners, U.S., in Foreign Countries 126 Imports of each State for 1853-54 Obituary, Foreign, in 1854 and 1855 .... Oregon Territory ........ 290 ....... 344 99 State Department... 98 204 117 State Finances, Debts, &c. 118 Steamboat Inspectors 206, 207 47-52 64 341 Supreme Court, U. S............................................ 120 106 142 ...... 309 ..... ..... 37 Tonnage, Comparative View of, for 40 Pamphlets and Magazines, Postage on 187-195 Treasurers, Assistant Pension Agents, Army and Navy.... 108, Pole Star, Apparent Places of the . Population of the U. S. Population of Chief Cities in U. S...... Postage, Foreign. Postage to Oregon and California, Foreign 190 Wisconsin. Postmasters in Chief Towns and Cities... 100 Young's Refractions. Postmasters, Compensation of...... 182, 187 Zodiac, Signs of the............ ......... |