Mr. SCHENCK. And that exception is one that did not meet with the concurrence of the ComMilAffrs after a full in vestigation of the matter with the authorities at the other end of the avenue, the SecyWar, and the chief of Engineers. That exception embraced a Fo appropriation; of more money than all the other items put together, Now, how does this matter come before this committee from the ComMilAffrs? A bill is introduced from the ComAppropriat proposing certain items of appropriation to keep up the defenses of the country on the sea coast. In reporting that bill they have left out a number of items in regard to which my colleague [Mr. SrALDING] now admits he was mistaken in supposing they were not estimated for by the War Dept. They were items which therefore were estimated for, which were thought by the War Dept to be necessary for the complete defenses of the country. Finding these items thus omitted from the bill from the ComAppropriat, the subject was brought to the attention of the ComMilAffrs, and they were asked to investigate these several items, and to move their adoption by way of amendment, or as many of them as the ComMilAffrs might think it expedient to propose for adoption into this fortification bill, when it should come up for consideration here. The ComMilAffrs, in pursuance of this investigation, with the communication from the War Dept before them, and the opportunity of obtaining facts from General. the engineer in chief, considered the various propositions to amend by the insertion of other items and adopted those, which in the aggregate amount to between3 and 400,000 dollars; but objected to reporting, and have instructed me not to report, one of the amendments, embracing a proposed expenditure of $400,000 for defense of the mouth of the Columbia river. In reference to the mouth of the Columbia river, the committee thought such was the character of the bar there, such the difficulty of entering it by vessels of any large draft, that probably a hostile fleet, or an enemy's vessel, if able to get over the bar, would be in a more dangerous condition than anybody on shore would be from their attack. The committee may have been mistaken about this; but our conclusion was not to recommend the adoption of that largest item. They were equally in favor of the examination of these other items; and I am instructed to move, among the rest, this item in relation to the defenses of Portland.