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[[preprinted]] 472 [[/preprinted]] [[Footnote 1]] Value of rations issued | 24546.74 | 13169.08 Clothing issued value of | $1200. nearly | [[blank]] Hospitals | 14 | 14 Sick in Hospitals | 1110 | 1065 Orphans apprenticed | 35 | 14 Deaths in Hospitals | 122 | 124 Very Respectfully E. Whittlesey Col. and Asst. Commissioner. [[Footnote 1]] Howard [[line]] Bureau Refugees, Freedmen &c Hd. Qrs. Asst. Commissioner &c Raleigh N.C. March 16th 1866. Howard Maj. Gen. O.O. Commissioner. General. I have the honor to forward herewith my report of the operations of this Bureau for the Month ending Feb. 28th. In the general condition of Freedmen but few changes are apparent. A very slow improvement is manifest. The great majority have obtained employment, and are working contentedly and faithfully. A large number however still remain upon our hands in a dependent State. As Spring opens I hope to reduce this number materially. But few cases of violent outrage are now reported. But the instances of petty annoyance, & interference with the industry & enterprise of freedmen who are trying to do well, are numerous. Their horses & mules are stolen, their fences torn down, their pigs killed, their arms taken away. The perpetrators of such mean acts, can rarely be detected, & when detected it is not easy to bring them to justice. The apprenticing of children has given rise to many abuses & hardships. In some instance the civil authorities have undertaken to execute articles of Indenture. At a single session of the County Court in Sampson County, several hundred, it is reported were "bound out" to their former masters, in many instances the older children only being selected for this service, leaving the young children to be supported by their parents. I have directed the Asst. Supt. of that county to proclaim all such indentures as are contrary to the regulations of this Bureau Null & void. Until some provision is made by County or municipal authorities, for the destitute, it does not seem to me right or just that they should assume control over any class who are capable of self support. Diligent inquiry has been made, in accordance with your Circular dated Feb. 23rd, but I cannot learn that any steps have been taken by County or Municipal authorities to provide for either white or black paupers; except perhaps in the city of New Berne where five hundred dollars have been appropriated for defraying the expenses of a Small-pox hospital. The magistrates at Wilmington also have promised to aid in the care of the poor, but no appropriations have been made. In order to remove the dependent class from large towns, I have advised [[end page]] [[start page]] [[preprinted]] 473 [[/preprinted]] [[Footnote 1]] that lands to be rented and cultivated after the plan of county farms. In one county such a farm has been begun. It will require some outlay at first, but it is hoped the crop when made will reimburse the Bureau. The Freedmen are not yet free from apprehension, that their liberty will prove but a dream. They see so much ill feeling exhibited toward them, & hear so often that they are an inferior race, and must always expect to be, that they are afraid to trust the whites. Could they be sure of full protection everywhere, they would exert themselves more earnestly to acquire property, & to improve their condition. Even now with all the discouragements under which they labor, there are many cheering signs of progress. Not the least is the increasing interest in education. The indications are that the benevolent societies which now support most of the schools, will soon receive much help from the freedmen themselves. In Beaufort a lot has been secured & nearly $600 subscribed by colored people for the erection of a school-house - one man giving $100. On plantations schools are being established as fast as teachers can be found; the children attending in the morning, and adults in the evening, after their day's work is done. In some parts of the number of scholars in attendance has been reduced by the prevalence of Small-Pox. Great effort has been made to prevent the spreading of this malady, but it has broken out in many places where we have no medical officers, & is therefore not entirely under our control. The disease however is of so mild a form that but few cases result fatally. The following summary will show the condition and work of the Bureau in Feb. as compared with the previous month. [[blank]]| Feb. | Jan. Contracts witnessed | 33 | 105 Freedmen employed under | 335 | 1229 Schools | 115 | 100 Teachers | 151 | 132 Scholars | 11314 | 10459 Rations issued | 105480 | 111576 Value of | $22245.73 | $24546.74 No. of dependents | 3500 | 3700 Value of clothing issued | $2000 | $1200 Hospitals | 14 | 14 Sick in Hospitals | 1454 | 1110 Deaths in Hospitals | 89 | 122 Orphans apprenticed | 170 | 35 Financial Report [[Footnote 1]] Howard (over)
