'WEST POINTMATEMs. Official Report of tie Board of Visitors for 1866—Suggestions Concerning Studies and As- ; sistant Instructors. ; %elcal (Changes Recommended in Re gard to Text Bopksr-Cadet Ap pointments to be Based on Successful Com petition, &c. The annual report of the Board of Visitors da West Point has been published. The fol lowing are 'the members of the Board: Lewis -Perrine, President, New Jersey; John Newman, Secretary, Vermont; B. J. Barbour, Virginia; John U. Campbell, In ‘■diana; James' H. Embry, Kentucky; Wool. JT. JohnBton,Pennßyl vania; R. M. Tindall, Mississippi; S. J. W. Luokey, : Tennessee; *Wm. 8. MoCaulley, Delaware; John G. Me- Mynn, Wisconsin; John A. Martin, Kansas; ’WnnMarvin, Florida; Anson Mills, Texas; J. W. Nesmith, Oregon; Joseph N. Ralston, Snow, Arkansas; John D. Stevenson, Missouri; Thomas G. Turner, .Rhode Island. Thereportis as foUo ws: Hon.E. M. Stanton, Secritary of War: ’The Board of Visitors; invited to attend the ■annual examination of the Military Acade my at West Point,; and to examineinto “the actual state of discipline, instruction,police, administration, fiscal affairs, and other concernsofthe Institution,” beg leave most .respectfully to submit the following report: upon the arrival of several of the mem bers of the Board on the Ist of June;’.the remains of Lieut.-General Winfield Scott •were awaiting interment. The members thus had an opportunity to participate In -the last sad rites paid to the departed hero. ; In commemoration of the event, and •as a token of their respect to the illnstrious ■dead, and of their deep-felt sympathy with -the nation’s grief, the Board adopted a series ©f resolutions, whioh are herewith sub mitted, and which they desire may be made ■a part of this report. The majority of the Board convened at West Point on Monday, the 4th inst., and made a temporary organization. The re mainder of the day was spent in making a general inspection of the public buildings, grounds, library and Boientifio apparatus, and a review of the corps of cadets. On the sth inst.. all the members having reported,the Board was permanently organ riztd. They then proceeded, oy invitation of 4he Superintendent, to attend the examina tion of the first or graduating class of cadets. They continued to devote themselves assi duously to this duty until the 11th inst., -when the Board divided itself into commit tees to attend two examinations of the other •classes proceeding at the same time. Standing committees were appointed to make a particular examination into the dif ferent departments of the institution, to which their attention wasspeciallydirected. The geueral arrangements for the educa tion of the cadets, as developed by the ex amination, are satisfactory. The professors -give evidence of their entire fitness for their posts, and the assistant instructors, with few exceptions, seem well qualified for their responsible positions. The subjects embraced in the course of ■study are appropriate and necessary to the mental and physical training required for the military profession, and, generally the ■system appears to be as complete and ; thorough as it can possibly be made under the present organization. The examination of the first class showed ■a proficiency in the abstract sciences, and their application to the art of war highly •creditable ’ to the capacity, industry and scholarship of the cadets, as well as to the patience,zeal and energy of their instructors. But the Board would be delinquent in duty if they failed to notice the faulty manner of interrogation of some of the assistant instructors. 9 9 * * s The examination of the junior classes was ’highly satisfactory. In Natural Philosophy, Chemistry and the languages, the sections •exhibited great: profioienoy. In mathe matics the demonstrations were given with ■that precision and accuracy which are characteristic of the science itself, and with a promptness and fullness of illustration which were really remarkable, indicating that the instructions in this department are mot surpassed by those of any institution in 'the world. The specimens of drawing were •creditable alike to pnpilsand professors,and -were especially commendable in view of the fact that from the absence of the chief pro fessor, in this department, from sickness, the- classes have been, for several months •entirely-under the supervision of assistant .instructors. Th 6 Board would Snow notice more par ticularly some of the errors referred i to •above, and make each suggestions as may -occur to them. They are folly convinced •that the system of appointment of assistant instructors requires modification and cor rection. The term of service or the Assist ant Professors is not fixed by law. Prior to 1855, custom permitted an officer to re main here as long as he gave satisfaction ■and was himself satisfied with his position. The ••resnlt was that officers remained not trofrequently ten: or fifteen years. Since .1856, o oanges have been freque at, and at present are made dependent on the interests of the services as viewed by the Secretary of War. These frequent changes are highly •objectionable, and while some excases for this policy may be found during the last four years,in the inexorable demands of war, ;yet the Board regret to say that indepen dently of any urgent necessity there is an evident and growing tendency to shorten, mather than increase the term of ser vice of the assistant instructors. ; The Board are firmly impressed with the •conviction that the various departments of instruction at the Academy labor nnder .great disadvantages in the difficulty of ob taining the services as assistant professors of officers of the highest grade of talent, and •of retaining those, who are detailed a suffi cient length of time to give them that inte rest in the subjects taught, and that practi cal experience in teaohing, which are abso lutely necessary to their success as teachers. It is a mistake to suppose that any officer :who has graduated at the Academy is at •once qualified to act as an instructor. He must have an aptness for teaohing, as well as a capacity for acquiring knowledge, and •those qualities, without an actual experience •of several years in the recitation room,: are of little avail to the pupil. Now that peace is restored and the ser •yiees of officers are hot required in the field, it is to be hoped that instructors of the .highest ability, and fitness, will, be selected , for duty: "that a much greater degree of per manency will be given to, their position,and that every inducement consistent i with: the service will be offered to them to become interested and devoted to their duties. ; * * * As bearing on the moral training -of the cadets, the Board - are : of opinion that it is eminently desirable that- the Chaplain of the Post should not be a member of i the Academic Board. In such an institution .as this, with its strict surveillance and rigid discipline, there is an intrinsic incompatibi lity between the position of a professor * and that of a moral instructor. Por the efficacy of the latter there should be a freedom from . constraint, a mutual confidence, and a cor -diality of intercourse which cannot possibly •exist under the present arrangement. : The Board are painfully impressed with thtj faot THE PAIL YfeyfiN!NQ BULLETTN ; PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY TECEMBER 20,18f1f. —TRIPLE SHEET: that there is no provision made for religious ins: ruction, with the exception of public ser vice on Sunday morning.'They belie vethat it is entirely compatible with the highest attainment in the art of war that the soldier should be carefully taught his relation to that Being guides in war as well as in peace, and'with I ‘whom is the destiny of individuals and of nations. With these earnest convictions the Board would re spt ctfully recommend: .First. That the Chaplain he relieved from academio duties, in order that he. may devote himself exclusively to the moral and religionstraining of the cadet. Second. That be be required to hold daily, in the chapel, morning prayers,upon whioh all who choose may have the privilege of attending. ■ Third. That he be required to form aclkss for biblical instractionson the Sabbath day, whioh the cadets may be earnestly invited to attend. ; Fourth. That, as an additional induce ment for the proper observance of the Sab bath, all military duties bedispensed with on that day, so far' as it is consistent with proper military discipline. . i The 80-. rd are unanimously of opinion that the corps of cadets conld be 'advanta geously increased from 292 (the number now authorized by law) to 400. For this number , they are assured by the Snperintendent that there would be ample barrack-room, with very small additional expense and a Blight increase in the number of assistant instruc tors. The records of the Academy show that for four, years, between 1856 and 1860, the graduating classes numbered an aver age per year of 851 persons. In other words, we have the mortifyiDg fact that in a nation of thirty millions of people there is annually but little over one graduate of the Military Academy for each million of the population. From the nature of onr Government, Its extent, the peculiar charac ter, .of onr frontier settlements, and the popular prejudice to a large standing army in time of peace,, there is a pressing neces sity for a larger olass of thoroughly edu cated officers, competent to serve in any of the different staff corps of the army, as emergency or the demands of the service mayrequire. The Board would cheerfully recommend even a greater, increase in the number of cadets to meet the increasing demands of the service for educated and scientific officers, if they believed it would find favor with Congress. There appears to be a constant effort bn the part of the Academio Board to enlarge the course oi studies even beyond what it was when it extended to five years, and to increase the size, number and subject mat ter of the text books. In the opinion of ibis Board the course should be reduced at least one-fourth. The effect of attempting to teach too much must result in imparting to the cadets but a superficial knowledge of the different subjects and in breaking down ail those who have cot had the advantages or previous college education. The attempt to make West Point at once an elementarv school, a high school, a scientific school, and a school for the applicationof ail the branches of science, must defeat the object of its cre ation. Looking to the future and consulting the interests of the service and of the country, the Board believe that Congress, by appro priate legislation, will - provide, at no dis tant day, for the establishment of> separate schools for the application of military sci ence in order that the institution at West Point maj better fulfil the objects and pur poses of its first organization and become ibe great military scientific school of the nation. It would be well for us to emulate in this respect the high example of France, "ho, by a sub-division into the Scientific, Polytechnic and Tactical schools of Paris, Saint Cyr, Metz and Vincennes, has greatly promoted not, only the efficiency of her armies, but has met more fully the de mands of the nation for general; scientific and tactical education. , The Board are of the opinion that the military education of the graduates at West Point might be greatly improved by oblig ing them after graduating to serve fora period in the different corps of the ar my, in order to enable .them to apply in practice the principles whiohthey have acquired at the Academy. It is accordingly recom mended that hereafter graduates be re quired, immediately upon their leaving West Point, to enter one of the regiments of the line, and serve for at least two years before they become eligible to appointment into the engineer or other staff oorps or the army. This would tend to obliterate the unkind feelings and animosities whioh exist between the different corps of the army. The Board deem it of greater importance to raise the standard of qualification in the cadets than to increase to any considerable extent their number. The evident defi ciency in scholarship in some of the lower sections is obviously due, not so much, to want of natural parts, as to deficiency in previous preparation. The standard for ad mission to the institution is now ridion lonsly low; the most ordinary classical academies and high schools demand a fuller coursejof preparation than is required of those seeking admission into West Point, aa-a * « a The present system of appointment of cadets is so degraded by political considera tions that the competitive system of exami nation seems to the Board absolutely neces saryto Becure a higher standard of quali fication, and they would suggest that the members of Congress, instead of recom mending one person for each vacancy, nominate a considerable number of candi dates desiring admission to the Military Academy from their Congressional districts; that the persons so nominated be required .to 'submit themselves to a Board of Examiners in their re spective districts, to be designated by the Secretary of War, in respect to their edu cational qualifications, their mental abilities and their physical condition; and that the persons recommended by said Board as passing the best examination receive the ap pointments. Snch a method of appoint ment, by exciting periodically a healthfnl stimulus of competition in each Congres sional District, would have tqe double effect of promoting the cause of popular education throughout the country, and of securing to the Academy the choicest youth of the na tion. • - » . . * * 9 a • The discipline of the institution seems so nearly perfect that there appears but little necessity for any change, unless it should be in the substitution of some mode of imme diate pnnißhment for mere trivial offences, distinguishing between neglect of duty and immorality of conduct. * . * *• . The police of the barracks, the mess-hall and the hospital, appear to be in most ex cellent condition. The eadeb quarters are. found to be comfortable and especially neat' and cleanly. Theinteriorarrangementsare such as to afford each cadet facilities for re tiiement and study, at the same time sub jecting him to snch surveillance as to insure the due observance of thediscipllne required by the rules of the Academy. In addition to some slight repairs,' the barracks require a new and different system of heating and ventilation. In place of the old hot-air furnaces and flue, now in* use and in a dilapidated condition, some one of the many modem;improved systems for beating buildings, at*a lower and more .uniform temperature, either by steam or hot water, should be substituted. We were informed that daring last winter of the rooms were untenantable from extreme cold, while others were equally so from ex cessive heat. Tour attention is urgently called to this snbjeot. Nothing can be more important to the health and comfort,' the mental and physical development, of ocon pants of buildings used for study land lodging,: than a proper system of heating and ventilation. The mess-hall and culinary department are iq seasonabl? order pd, clepUneas. The hospital commends itself for the good order andfileauliness that exist thr. uguonr the entire establishment. The ou. wradt seemtobe ench as would arise f m tti modem improvements 1m hospital >tufo. The Board would recommend that the hospital be supplied with entirely new and appropriate furniture, such as is now gene rally adopted for an enlightened treatment of disease. ■ In the event of an increase in the’ number of cadets, additional buildings, changes and enlargments will be necessary for their ac commodation/ For the' better preservation of the mahy interesting mementoes and trophies o; the several wars in which the nation has been involved, fire-proof buildings sbonld be erected. Additional out-buildings and sinks with modern appliances for the use of the hospital and cadet barracks are strongly recommended, as necessary and as proper sanitary measures. We concur in the re commendations heretofore made as to the necessity and importance of the removal ;ol' . the magazine to some more suitable loca tion, and for the enlargement and embel lishment of the Cadets’ Cemetery. T The general condition of the buildings and public property indicates a careful and faithful supervision on the part of the Su perintendent. The Committee on BnUdings and Public Land have given this subject much consideration, to whose report yon are respectfully referred for valuable sug gestions and data. The Snperintendent has the general su pervision or administration of the affairs of the institution, and of every matter relating thereto. Of ■this administration, the Board feel authorized to speak in tne highest terms. The institution is goyerned with great strictness and according td the most exact principles of military discipline, and they have no hesitation in expressing their opinion that the great'object and purpose of the Snperintendent is to make the Acad emy one of the mpst thorough military schools in the world, and to' give its graduates scholarship and Boldleriy qualities befitting the elevated stations to which they may he called. The academio corps is actuated by the same high principle, and with the support of other departments of the. Government, the great object of the institution will be at tained so, far as can be accomplished by education and military discipline. The Board feel constrained "to Buggest that, in the selection of assistant instructors, in the enforcement of roles and regulations for the government oi the Academy, and in the de cisions of courts-martial, unless in extra ordinary cases, the recommendations of the Superintendent aDd Professors should be rigidly adhered to by the Secretary of War. The accounts of the Treasurer- of the Military Academy appear to be accurately and satisfactorily kept. His books exhibit a lull aEd particular statement of receipts and disbursements under their appropriate heads, and are highly creditable to that officer for neatness and exactness. The at tention of the Board was naturally at tracted by certain unusual charges against thecadetfund. These charges include, in addition to the cost of clothing, subsistence, bocks and stationery, all the expense of furniture, cooking utensils, and the cost of i epairs of tbesame, as also that of the mess ball, fuel, gas, the wages of the servants and pay of the purveyor of the mess com mons. Many of these items the Board think should be paid from some other fund, by which the cadets should be relieved from a portion of tho expenses, an! thus place them upon an equally favorable footing with the cadets of the Naval Academy at Annapolis. In view of the f*ct that the pay of cadets la barely adequate to meet all the necessary demands for their support, the board think that the corps should be relieved from many of the assessments made upon them for in cidental expenses, beside those above enu merated, and especially that for the main tenance of the board stationed at West Point, and would recommend that this band be placed upon the same footing, as pay and emoluments, as the bands stauoned at any other military post. It is quite as necessary, and the importance and magni tude of West Point as a military post, re quire the services of a band as much as anv other. J The food served at the mess commons seems to be sufficient In quantity and rea sonably good in quality, but lacks variety, especially in vegetables. Great oomplaints exist, and with some apparent foundation, that the food is improperly cooked and very badly served. The cooking arrangements are of the rudest and most primitive kind, large iron kettles being mainly employed- The coffee cooked in this way is ho black ened that it has neither the appearance nor the taste of coflee. Fresh beet of excellent qnality is rendered unpalatable and un wholesome by this method of cooking, from which soups are made and served on the same day with the meats. It is a well-estab lished fact in hygiene, that fresh meats are rendered more palatable, digesti ble and nutritions, when roasted or broiled, than when cooked by any other process. Soups ehould only be occasionally used as a diet, and then made from snch meats as cannot be used for roasting. Digestion is better accomplished when the stomach re ceives food in a consistent and solid state than when too much expanded in a liquid form. We invite the serious attention ot the Government to this snbjeot of food, involv ing as it does the future health and useful ness, and perhaps the lives of the cadets. We feel entirely satisfied, from the assu rances the Board receive, that from the good sense and gentlemanly instincts of the cadets,they will, in the fntnre, of their own accord, discontinue the cruel practice of “hazing” the Plebs, or fourth class, during the period of the encampment, at leaßt to such an extent as to render it less discredita ble to themselves and less annoying and cruel to their unfortunate victims. The Board take pleasure in acknowledg ing their obligations to the Superintendent and members of the Academic Board, for their courtesy and assiduity In affording them every necessary facilities for the intel ligent discharge of their duties. Finally, as tonchtog all questions, affect ing all hearts, and promotlve of every good the Board would urge the more constant inculcation ef that broad and vital patriot . ism, which has been happily defined to in ’elude "all the charities of all.” The Board were pleased to see the accuracy with which the formal powers and duties ef the General Government were depicted and described by some of the sections; but they think that something beyond the cold, skeleton analy sis of the Constitution should be presented, and that no efforts should be spared to cherish and increase among the ca dets a fervid feeling ot nationality. Avoiding the narrow questions : of party and the bitterness of sectional hatred, let these youthful minds grow up with some adequate knowledge of the vast and varied interests ot oar magnificent country. As its manifold relations of in terest and inter-independence are developed to his mind, the.yonng soldier wouldlearn not only the magnitude of the stake for which he might be called upon to contend in war, but also the nobler and higher lesson that indolence is always inglorious, and that he is not only bound to defend his country in battle, but equally bound to strive with all the ability tbat God has given him to make her great and lovely in peace. All of which is respectfully submitted. West Poiht, June 19,1866. Tee Show pi Cambria County.—The snow storm whioh prevailed here on Sunday was equally vigorous in Cambria oonnty. The same snow at Johnstown, yesterday, lay at a depth of fourteen inches, and was drifting to such an extent as to render rail road traveling much more diffionlt than heretofore.— Pittsburgh Qtaette, Wednesday. Southerners in. Brazil. _ V; [From the Mobile Advertiser.] we bad the unexpected pleasure, yester day, of meeting our old friend, Major Haht ings, who has just retorned frqaL Brazil. The'* Major’ left Mobile about the middle of last Aprii,and has traveled Borne eighteen thousand miles in the course of eight months. He has founded a colony on the Amazon, in' the meantime, has visited Rio de Janeiro and other parts of Brazil, and seen and done a great deal besides. Major Hastings has located his colony at the mouth of the Tapajos, one of the princi pal tributaries of the Amazon. Here he has obtained from the Brazilian Govern ment a grant of9oo square miles of land, for ■vbiefi be ts to pay about 21 cents an acre, on a credit of one, two, three, four, and five years. He disposes of this land to colonists upon the same terms. Some of the emigrants that went outwith Major Bastings have commenced a settle ment and baye been joined by others, who were already in Brazil. A few of them went to_ Pernambuco, but it is believed that they will return and join the settlement on the Amazon. The Government of Brazil is now having houses built for the emigrants, and one hun dred square miles. of the grant are to be surveyed immediately. It has been deter mined to distribute the land to settlers ia tracts of one square mile to each head of a family, and half of a square mile to single persons. Major Hastings is sangnine of the success of the colony. He represents the climate as delightful, being fanned by the trade winds, which are felt far in the interior of the level country watered by the Amazon and its branches. He expects, however, before his return to Brazil, to publish a work upon the subject, which will givein fall the resalt oi his observation and experience. Personal. Says the Pittsburgh Gazette: “We an nounce the death onj Monday, of Hector Sutherland, Esq. Mr. Sutherland was one of onr oldest citizens. He came to this city from Scotland in 1818, and made it his place of residence since that date. Edncated to the law, he passed the bar after serving an apprenticeship, and became a counsellor at Edinburgh. After coming to this country be engaged in the profession of school teach ing, and became somewhat notable from his introduction, in 1827, far John J. Pearson, of Louisville, of the present system of book keeping. He was also the author of a new system of single and doable entry book keeping, the result of his thorough know ledge and large experience as an accountant, both in this and the old country.” Rev. Dr. Albro, for thirty year 3 and more a leading Congregationali-t divine, and pastor of the Congregational church at Old Cambridge, Massachusetts, lies dangerously ill at the residence of Lucius A. i'olinan” Esq., in West Roxbury. His physicians tay that he is liable to die at any moment. Boilkk Explosion.—Ou Thursday lastths boiler in the woolen factory of A.. D. Saatfer, ( i Bridgeville, this county, exploded, injur ing one person severely and slightly injur ing the elder member of the firm, whose escape from total annihilation seems provi dential.. Mr. Shaffer had fired up ana step ped behind behind the fulling stocks to mend a belt when the explosion occurred. He was covered with broken timbers, the force of which had been checked by tha stocks behind which he was standing. Tha pieces of the boiler were thrown over two hundred yards, and not a whole pane cf glass was left in the whole building. The report was terrific, and was heard for miles uronnd. The loss sustained will amount to between §2,500 and §3,000, the engine and boiler being a tots! wreck. The firm have already made arrangements to rcbaii4, “Cd were in town yesterday contracting for a new engine and boiler; The canso of the explosion is throught to be that the safety valve bad become cemented with the lime of the bard water, and that it failed to act to give the proper vent. Hence the disas trous consequences.— Pittsburgh Gazslte. MARINE BULLETIN- t OKT py PHIIiAI)KUHIA«DEC»»n»tg 20. Marine BuUelinon SUvcntA I*aoe, ARRIVED THIS DAY Bchr Halo. Luot, 4 days from Newburypart, with mdse to Ortls <£ Knight. Schr J B Henry, Weaver, fram Providence. Schr J a Shtndler, Lee. from Providence. Schr £aie EaUahan. Hagen, from Newport. ►chr J y Babcock, Babcock, from Rnm^p, Sour W H Deanis. Lake, from Boston, Rchr L D Small. Tice, from Boston. Bchr MAE Henderson, Price, from Boston, Fchr H Bewail, Fisher. from Newboryporft. fcchrW W Pbaro Allen, from Bath, bchr B 8 Miller. Ande eon. from Salem. CLEARED THIS DAY. Pteamer Cuba, cleared at Baltimore yesterday for N Orleans via Port Boyal, Key West and Havana. B&'k Bine Nose £ N. by compass, Id 9 fathoms, distance a*ont 10 miles. MARRIED. BRAIJNS—MURDOCH.—At Baltimore, on tbeisth lost., by the Rev. J. O. Backus, P. D., Rev. P. W. Brauns to Snsan.daugbter of Wm. F. Murdoch. • DAVIDSON—BRII^E—On the 13th lust,, by theß«v Richard Henckle, F H. Davidson to Miss Hannah E. daughter of Cotter Bride, Esq^all of Baltimore. - DENNIS—MEYERS.—On the 17th Inst, by the Rev. M. Kratt. John Dennis to Miss Kate Meyers, both of Baltimore. HOCHADEL—LAUSTER.—At Baltimore, on the 16th Inst., by the Bev. L. D. Maier. James *•. Hoch&del to Anna E.. second daughter of 8. D. L&aster.Eßq BANK—LEACH.—On the 20th lust.,at the residence oftlm brides parents Jby the Rev Dr Dorr. HDam W. Leach. Esq. all of this city- No Cards. .. ;** WILLIAMS—SHARPLES.—On Wednesday, the 19th Inst,, at Cescord Farm, Delaware county, by the Bev. J. K. Murphy, Cbas. p. Williams to Anne 0., eldest daughter ot the late Caspar Wlat&r Sharpies.* DIED. BROWN.—On the 18th Inst., Emellne Handy, wife of David Paul Brown. The funeral will take place at the residence of her husband, 1113 Girard street, on Friday, the 21st Inst., at halfoaat eleven o’clock. * DURNEY.-On the Mth Inst, Mary H.. wife of John J. Dorsey, and daughter of the late Nathaniel 0., and Sarah O Foster, aged 81 years. ■ • FBAWAIN.—O" Deo. 19 th, Jas. R. Frawatn. The relatives and Mends of the family are Invited to attend the funeral, on Saturday morning, at 11 o’clock, from bis late residence, No. 517 Cooper street, Camden, To proceed to Morel &Ul. *• FBOFT.-Od the 15th Instant, at Locust Grove. In Hr ward conhty. Md., Miss Harriet Frost, In the 571 h year of her age. 1 * BKKIXRY.—On the morning orthe 2oth Inst., Edwin A ,-Hen< THGHFfiOH BLACK * SOS', Broad and dteatnaC 6btit daiot&tp > .