There are now forty-four clerks employed in this Bureau, the number having been reduced since October 20, 1865, from seventy-five, there having been employed an average number of fifty-five throughout the year. This clerical force has been distributed into five divisions, whose labor will be shown by the following statements:

First and second divisions.- Executive - letters received, indorsement and memorandum, and letters sent:

Communications received, briefed, and entered on permanent

record books................................................ 6.379

Papers acted on by indorsement.............................. 5.343

Communications sent out (written)........................... 1.502

Communications sent out (printed form)...................... 361

Telegrams received, briefed, and entered on permanent

record books................................................ 8

Telegrams sent.............................................. 9

Letters (lettepress work) recopied into permanent record

books, folios in permanent books............................ 5.865

Telegrams (letterpress work) recopied into permanent record

books, folios in permanent book............................. 1.063

Volumes, permanent record, permanently indexed.............. 7

Letters sent, permanent records, subjects indexed........... 4.200

Claims against fund (belonging to Federal prisoners,

recovered) turned over by General Mulford, examined......... 729

Besides the foregoing, an immense amount of miscellaneous work has been performed which cannot be specially embraced in this report.

NOTE.- All communications and correspondence pertaining to commutation for rations to prisoners of war are reported in the operations of the fifth division of this Bureau. The principal portion of letters of inquiry from the Paymaster-General, Second Auditor, and Commissioner of Pensions are accounted for in the operations of the third division of this Bureau.

Third division.- Records pertaining to Federal prisoners: Letters of inquiry received and entered on letter books in this division-

From Paymaster-General................................ 4.242

Second Auditor........................................ 1.451

Commisioner of Pensions............................... 168

Number of cases examined and records furnished for-

Adjutant-General...................................... 3.157

Second Auditor........................................ 1.940

Paymaster-General..................................... 4.616

Commisioner of Pensions............................... 402

Miscellanous.......................................... 706

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Total.................................................10,821

The examination of these cases frequently involves great labor, owing to the vague information furnished in many of the letters of inquiry as to when and where the parties inquired for were last heard from, or other information that would facilitate the examination of the records. In most cases this office is expected to furnish the complete record of each soldier from the time of his capture until his exchange and return to duty with his company, or until he is otherwise disposed of; and as the rolls and records pertaining to Federal soldiers, prisoners of war, comprise over a million of names (owing to the fact that the same name frequently appears on five or six different reports from the time of parole until they are finally disposed of), it will readily be seen that the work of examination must necessarily consume a considerable amount of labor and time.

Number of certificates from records issued:

Paymaster-General.................................... 4.131

Second Auditor....................................... 1.162

Commisioner of Pensions.............................. 138

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Total................................................ 5.431