Mr. EDMUNDS. I happen to have some personal knowledge res eeting this matter, and as the Senfrom NewYork is desirous to know who Surgeon J. H. Baxter is, I will in form him that he is a Vermonter, if that isany objection to him. This young man is a surgeon of the highest reputation and ability in his profession. He came to this war as a surgeon, and from the be inning was attached to the Provost Marshal enerafs office, where he has labored, as the Senfrom Maine has said, with the most distinguished ability and faithfulness, performing the duties relating to it, from the beginning to the end, as well as attending the hospitals here; and under the direction of the Provost Marshal General he has accumu lated these statistics, by work night and day, in season and out of season, until he has sys tematized and put in the form of tables and statistics the physical history, for it amounts to that, of the whole recruiting service of the U.S. Every man that was rejected or admitted in all the recruiting stations of the whole Union apears in his statements and tables; that is, teresults of his physical examination, making, when it is finished, as it is almost finished, by far the most complete and elaborate and perfect work of the description, showing the p ysical strength and power of this nation, thatever was published or ever was got together in any nation of the world. N ow, having almost accomplished this most valuable labor, it is proosed by some party or other to derive him otpthe honor of it by closing his othee and turning it over to the Surgeon general, under whose broad phylacteries it oes, into the general account of the great deo1‘ the Surgeon General. I do not wish to detract from the Surgeon General. I do not know that he is personally aware of this performance. As the Senfrom Maine has said, this does not increase the expenditures. NOmoney is to be eXpended for the benefit of Surgeon Baxter. He does not ask it; but he does ask, and his friends have a right to ask, and it is only just, that the honor which attaches to his labors shall belong to him, and not to the surgeon General. The money must be expended, as it ought to be, for the public good; and the simple question is, as the Senfrom Maine has said, whether Surgeon Baxter shall have the superintendenee of completing these sta tistics, rather than be derived of it after he has performed the labor? That is all there is in the question.