Newspapers / The Harbinger (Chapel Hill, … / Dec. 19, 1833, edition 1 / Page 1
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; : J ' ; ; r - ' 1 .-.-. . . , t : L . I ; .: - i " :.. I . : . . , : : 1. 'V-- ' .;..." :-H;; ' ; " n - , . , , .... . - . . r; ;. : - PUBLISHED WEEKLY ,7ir thesiiperrision of tie professors ' ! of the University ' r Terms Three Dollars per annunp, payalile yearly ih advance, or Four Dollars if payment be delavetl six months after the commencemeni of each subscription year. nareriusemenis wmcn are nrniieu to lour co lumns,) inserted at the Customary rates. 'j t ' . ' "All letters should be directed to )the publisher, at .ni i ri:ii r r v . u r i- - : Slate Legislature. . . REPORT Of the President and Directors of the Literary Fund, of North. Carolina, transmitted, according to Act of Assembly, ovemI)er2nd, 1833. To the General Assembly qf the Sla i , - Xorth Carolina, eof of the Liter- x The Presidenl and Directors ary Fund, in obedience to the act of. Assem bly requiring them to "cause to be kept by. the Treasurer for the State, aj regular ac count, of all such sums of money as may belong tnT the said fund; of the manner in vhich the same has been applied and vest ed; and to make'an annual report thereof to the Legislature, with such recommendations for the improvement of the same as to them shall seem expedient" respect jully -Report, That the receipts of this corporation for sctfully -Report, corporation for day of Novem- ovs viz. tie year ending on the first ber, 1S33, have been as foil Amount of tavern taxfor 1833,. 82,737 2S d- auction. do do do cash received do on entries . of vacant land, Ditto idivideuds received State 675 (H 6,279 43 18.180 00 5f36 11 Bank and Dank of Newborn, Ditto do Caper Fear Navi gation Company 23,438 49 Add to thit sum the amount re turned hv the Public Treasurer tn the last General Assembly, lo have been due io the Literary Fund, on the first of Novem ber 1832, : ' ? : M3kinc an aggregate of 8117024 8U During the present year no expenditures have been made from this fund for any pur pose; and for obvious .reasons the board have'declined to exercise the a nthority giv en bv the third section of the act creating this corpratio!i ,to vest any part or- the wh"h? of the fund in the stock of any of the Ba-i'is of this Htate, or in the stock 4 of. the Bank of the United-States." The entire fund has therefore been, idle "and unproduc tive during this period. The President and Directors have had Sfimp rbffirnltv irrtlptPrminina tlip-rnnt rnr. tin, which ought to be given tlo the act of incorporation; and as the question involved' is one of much importance, they beg leave to refer it to the consideration of the Legis lalure. Thi: .second section provides th-t the Liternrv Pund,: shall corsst of the divi dend arising from certain Bank! Stock own ed bv the State, the-dividend arising from stock owned by the State in certain naviga tion companies; the tax impose! by; lav on . licrnst's to the "retailers of spirituous liquors anil auctioneers; the unexpended balancdjof the agricultural fund, which by the act of the Legislature is directed to be paid into the nablic Trcasurv: alt monies naid to the Mate for entries ; of vacant land .excepting j rokee Indians for reservati6ns (p Jarid secu- feuiomenioy treaty, wnen tne said sum shall be received from the United States by this State; and of all the vacant and unao- propriated swamp lands in this State, , toge- ther with such sums of money as the Lcgis-? uiure may rjereatter und it convenient s to appropriate from time to time.'i ; The third section declares that the President and Di rectors shall have authority "at all times to change, alter, and -dispose of the real arid personal estate, belonging to the said fund, in such manner and upon: such "terms as pay.jn their opinion be best calculated to improve the. value thereof.!' An act passed al the same ession, prohibits the en try of amp lands. Has the act of Assembly in qesiion transferred the swamplands to this. corporation with authority to dispose of l"fm? or merely a right lo all monies paid totheState on account of them, as in the fe of other vacant and unappropriated W's! ' ;, . . ' - The Rnnnl that tbn fmer is the true construction. I The gran t !i express "of all the vacant and uiiappro Pfuted swamp lands," arid not to "all mo paid to the State" as in thej former in s,ance. ; If a rialit tn ilio latter merelv is in- ,CI1'H there as no necessity tf anylref- "ce to the swamplands, all the unappro- Jfid lands except the Cherokee lands, be '"ciUiled by the other form of expres sion rn ... t the corporation neither owns, nor authority to acquire.any rca estate o jter ibn these lands, so that the power, "to .'ter change, and dispose of th 3 real .and ij?,,laI eslaci" given bycthe tliird section other construction enl rely nuga .ry, so far as it relates to the former spe property.. . - . ' 4 he act above referred to, passed at the .session of the Legislature, to prohibit entry of these lands accordd well with 's.construction. The Legislature seems at.neriod for the first time, to have been duly 'sensible of the great importance of this portion of the public domain, and it must have been upon Jhis real estate alone, that any reliance could havebeen placed, or even hope enterlained for the accumulation, with in any reasonable period, of a sufficient fund for the support of common' and- convenient schools for the instruction of youth in the ovicioituunues oi mis oiate. Having arrived at this conclusion, it v be comes the duty of the Board, in connexion with the subject, "to make such recommen dations to the Legislature for the improve ment of the Fund as seem: to them expe dient." ' - - ! . 1 it is apparent that no general o-nnd r.nnM eueciea, oy aa attempt to establish com mon and convenient schools in every county in the tate, with a fund amounting to a nine more tnan a hundred thousand dollars. There is'at present no opportunity afforded ior ;aii investment in tne stock o! any Bank in this State or of the U. States, though it is probable this state of things will not lonir couiinue. ln tne mean time, they enter tain the .opinion that ' their .-j attention may with great propriety be directed to the im provement of that part of the fund which n8181?,01 fal estate, and that a money in the Treasury may apart fortius purpose, leaving tl . to he invested m such stocks, consists of real estate, and that a portion of r well be set the remain as the Le gislature may di'cct. The Governor in his rtcent message .to the General Assembly, has stated 'the ex tent, and made some general remarks with respect to the yalueof the swamp and marsh lands in the State. A minute; and interest ing description of the entire region, over which they extend, was giveri to the Board for Internal Improvements in 11827,' by Mr. Nash, then Civil Engineer foil the State. He concludes hi report on this subject by ob serving that. "North Carolina possesses a mine of wealth in her swamp !lands,L, which if rightly managed may be made a source of great and lasting revenue. Instead of being the abodes of reptiles and howling beasts, the receptacles of stagnant waters, which spread disease and death through the coun- try lor one third ot the year, thp.sft now loaihsome marshes and dismals may I all be converted into fruitful, fields, and made the delightful habitations of man." - The Board tiave taken much irminsj to as- certain the correctness of the description -gi- ven by this gentleman.' of i the several tracts of country surveyed bv him, and to test the general accuracy of his estimates. Various publications on' the subject have been con- suited, the maps belonging to the Executive Department attentively examined, and much Niniormauon nas oecii ootained'by an exten ' . . i : . . . correspondence with gentlemen resi ding in the eastern section of the State. Thrse inquiries hjvc produced ; the convic- lion that the subject is oneLdf great impor tance and well worthy the interest it has ex cited in the public mind. The general fei lility of the soil is universally admitted, the extent of the surface has been ascertained by actual survey, and the effect of 'the anti cipated improvement upon the health of the adjacent country cannot be otherwise than salutary. " The important ii.quiry however remains to be answered, in what way and byj what means can this work be most advantageous- ly perlormed?- This has been the subject of much reflection with the Board, and they have been unable to devise any general, sys- tem of improvement, with which they are entirely saiisneu. iney oeneve, nowever, that an experiment may be made without either hazard or expense to the fund, which they have in charge, which will afford, the mpst satisfactory information by which to uetermme tne propriety oi entering upon a general system of improvement. They pro- poise to select a, single tract of sufficient en- tent, and offer the requisite inducement to reclaim it, to individual effort and enter prise. With tllis view they rdcommerid as the first object of attention, the work which. has been the subject of such frequent dis cussion in the Legislature, the improvement of the swamp land in Hydecounty, by drain ing Matamuskeet lake. This lake is repre sented bv Mr. -Nash to be 20 miles in length f rom East to West, and 8 or 9 miles from North to South, and to cover an of 120.000 acres.! Itis'elevated from 7 wide area ol0 feet above the lefel of Pamtico soifnd, from .which it is? distant four miles, and has at its greatest depth 9 feet of water. He estimates that a canal forty feet in width, andeight feet in depth, may be excavated along the line of a canal already existing of the width of twelve and depth -of four feet, by the nvnfinditure o f SS.000. and that it would have the effect to lay bare and sufficiently dry for the purposes of cultivation, 60000 . - . m orrp of land, of orreat fertility. In addi- tion to this the lands of the riparian propri etors would be secured ; from .inundation, and thus greatly enhanced in value, anc the healthfulness of, a neighborhood increased, which is believed to be more densely popu lated, than any settlement of equal extent in this or perhaps in the southern state There is ; ant ther object which rnay be attained by draining this lake or reducing its waters, which recommend' it still more forcibly to public'patrpnage. 1 N The i distance from the lake to Alligator river is but four miles. If a canal oe cui irom tne norm siae of the former, to the Pamptico sound, and I I lilu'cnnciK a ti l z .Til t . . i. . : - . . -a 3 ; ' .1 from its southern margin to Alligator j river, which it is believed may be dffected without much difficulty, a direct comtnunicatiori will be opened between Albemarle and Pampti co sounds.' The Dismal Swamp Canal is already in successful operation, and the im provement now proposed will afford a chan nel of communication betweien Norfolk and Newbern, . of great importance, not only to the immediate section of countrv through which'it will pass, but to a, large portion ine Aiiantic j coast. .r:.wiininv( .tne .j lat) two months, a company of enterprising gentle- men have established a line of steamboats between Elizabeth City (near the pojnt of connexion .between Pasquotank rive and the Dismal Swamp Canal) and' Newbern. It is in contemplation to extend, jthis line from Newbern, through the Club Fool j and Harlow's Crek Canal to Beaufort, and thence along the .coast by VyUmirfgton to Charleston, S. C. Through the canals con necting Matamuskeet lake tvitli Paniptico a id Albemarle bounds, a hundred" miles woum oe saved in distance, qetween jiiza 11.' ' I l. ' i "i - 1 ' ir... beth City and Newbern, and navigation of the lower part the dangerous of Albemarle rJinneirxi' ' iwnnlrl Sound avoided. This improy constitute a link of the-great chain of inter nal communication which has for many t years attracted the attention oft some dtour most distinguished statesmen. The facili ties of intercommunication wjhich it would afford in time of peace, would greatly! pro mote the convenience and advance thejpros perity of that section of the State; but if at any time the fleet of an enem4should cut off all intercourse with our seapojrts; a safe! and direct inland navigation, of the character pro posed as a . means of defence, would be j of incalculable value, not only to Vorth lina, but: to the Union. I ! an It seems to be matter of surprise, that the Legislature had not been induced, long since by the obvious advantages which mu st re- suit from the successful prosecution of such an enterprize, to offer the; entire body ; of lauu, vnicn migni oe. reciairnea, to ine nrsi individual who would drain'lhe ilake. The Board entertain the opinion, IhoweverJ lthat if the General Assembly concur with them m tne construction they have given to the -..l ': ' . ' .i"! i 1 - - ' Act creating this fund, jand sanction: jtie course which they propose, to adopt, liberal and enterprising individuals jill; e willing to lncurifhe hazard of such ap; undertaking uPon terPls mu.ch "lore favorable td je. Stat?' lf successfully prosecuted, Jarid Jitten- ed by no public loss should t fail. 1 h fThey therefore respectfulljr rejeommend to your honorable body ! to authorizd the i.iauuxyirtciursiunuc f'Ti .V " to Joan upon good security, to ;any number onndividuals, not exceeding will associate themselves and thirty, fwho shall bf in- corporated lor the our&ose ot enffasrinsr in the work; a sum of money, riot exceeding 30,000 dollars to be applied by the skill ji.i dividiials to the accorEplishme;nt of the! pro jected enterprize. The money to j-be repaid ai me expiration oi nve yearsjirom me pe riod at which the loan shall have been ob tained, without interest. The lands when reclaimed, to be soldi and the proceeds, - af ter the repayment of the 30,000 dollarsoan ed, to be equally divided betwen the corpo ration and the individuals concerned. 1 The canals to be joint property,' aiid reasonable rates of toll to be allowed for the transport-i ation 6 nroduce unon them. . : By thisjplan, the Literary up.d, " for the use of thej capital employedarid the land surface of the lake, which in its present; con dition is destitute ofValue, would rejceiVe one half the amount' of tolls levied onr the canals, and Ujermdividuals under whose di rection .thework shall be peforWd j the remainiing'half, as a compensation for ftheir attention and the hazaid incurred! 11 a. Vontrressiona EXTRACT FROM THE REPORT OF THE POSTMASTER GENERAL. r General 'Post . Office Department, t ' November 30, 18331 On the 1st day of July, 1832, the day to which my last report; reaches, there wa sta- ted to be a surplus bf available funds; 'after defraying fall the expenses of the depart ment up to that day, of ! $202,8 1 40 It is hovvevei now ascertain-' ed, that thfe . expenses incurred for transportation which s had actually been, performed priorj to the 1st July, Itwa, beyond the amount stated in that re port, werej : ! i . ; So that, instead of a surplus on that day, the department was actually indebted on the 1st day of July, 1832, beyond the. whole amount of its avail able" funds, admitting that no losses of postages should be sustained, The gross amount of posta ges for the year ending the 30th 205,656 07 2,844 67 June, 1832," was 2,2u8,570.17 1 The gross amount of. posta ges for the year ending the 30th June, 18oJ, .was 2,616,538 27 r 1 i Making an increase for the j- ! j year over the former year, of $357,968 10 The net preceeds of postages, after deduct- Mng commissions to postmasters anq the con- tiiigent expenses of their officer, for year enaing tne tjutn June. iew, was J . 1 $l,o4i,09S x- ui uie, year; eiJUHig June otr, 1833, it was 1,790,254 .'111-,' Making an increase of net ; r : 1 : proceeeds for. the year, of ( $247,156 The expenses of the department, incurred for the year ending June 30, 1833, were as of follows, viz. i Compensation to postmas ters, including the contingent expenses of their offices 3d quarter, 1832, 8202,431 26 , 4th quarter, " 200,151 51 1st quarter,' 1833, 214,935 50 2d quarter, 44 I 268,765 35 $826,283 Transportation of the mail 3d quarter, 1832, 435,892 85 4th quarter, " 441,183 01 1st quarter, 1833. 499,185 96 2d quarter, 518,426 16 1,894,688 Incidental expenses for the year, 87,701 61 Making together, j S2,808,673 31 he The gross amount of postages for same period was j 1 ; ' 3d quarter, 1832, 642,6S9 22 4th quarter, " 630,464 47 l&t quarter; 1833, 673,957 67 2d quarter; 669,426 91 2,616,538 27 04 Leaving a deficit of i 192,135 Add this sum paid; into the Treasury by irregular "de posites, having been placed by the receiving officer - to the credit of that department in stead of this, I ? , I i The balance due by the de 228 69 partment on the 1st July, 1832, as above stated, j i 2,844 57 j Anil the department! was in debted on the 1st July, 1833, beyond the amount of availa- ble balances due to it, in the sum; of $195,208 40 I The annual expense of trans- I j porting the mail under existing y ! contracts, vvith Jail j their im? I provements, is j : j 62,033,289 i The incidental expenses of i i the. department, estimated at 90,000 42 00 Making the- a pense for a year ggregate ex- 82,123,289 i The net proceeds of postages for the year ending the June, 1833, amounted to i i 81,790,254 65 sThe net increase for that year over the. preceding y r. and which maybe: safely estima ted as continuing, was 247,156 16 "' ' i - ' " ! - -. -i , : !' . ' :' k '! ". revenue for 1 j Making the net the current year v 82,037,410 81 Leaving a deficit of t?OU,OIO The former method of keeping the ac counts of the expenses of transportation would have left out of this report expenses for transportation, as if they had riot be eri incurred, because not entered under their proper dates; the sum of $91,658 ,82, viz. , j Por services permrme'd prior ! , ' to July 1, 1832, . i $22,294 ; For services performed dur- i - I ing 3d quarter, 1832, 9,420 50 4th quarter, 1832, 9,932 21 1st quarter 1833, 22,872 70 2d quarter, 1833, - 27,138 97 r Making, together $91,658 82 ,v j . j This, had the ihiperfection oi that system remained unobserved, would have made the department appear to be less indebted, by that amount, than what it U in reality. ! I the discovery ot tne excess ot expendi- 'tures beyond its revenues, at once showed thf npmsitr nt rptrpnrhmpnt. I h nn v practicable means j of doinir this. Was the withdrawal of some of the improvements which had been mader and on such1 routes as would be least l in urious to the public, and least prejudicial to the revenues of' the department. f - : This lias been done with great care and attention to these two points. The reduc tions have 'been directeoon the transporta tion, to take effect from the 1st of January next, to the annual amount of $202,37 0 The contracts have been renew for the southwestern section, comprising the States of.Louisia na, Mississippi, Alabau'a, Teri- nesseei Missouri, Illinois; arid In diana I arid the Territory of Ar kansas, with a greater amount of improvements than curtails, at an annual saving of 71,89,3 Making together an annual re trenchment in the expenses of the ! department of !. - , : $274,263 In making these retrenchments, many q f the principal contractors who were to be attected by them, seeing tne necessity wmc the I induced the measure, have roa&ly declared J tneir cordial acquiescence in it; and with a 49, patriotic spmt . becoming their; character, have shown a determination' to sustain tho 65 department, as a paramount obiect, at any - I "'' it 1.1 . . i . " , . . . i "auruiuc wiitcii ii may reauire on inoir nun. After the reductions shall take effect, the 16 1 annual transportation of the mail will still ne 5,527,957 miles, viz.: j- : Inlstages, 16,400,651 -in i steamboat?, 587,137 horseback and sulkies; 8.540,169. Thus it will appear, that but a, part of tho impro'vements will be withdrawn, to enable the department still to rely exclusively on its own resources, as the annual transporta tion will still be, -after the 1st Jariuarv next. r,9Q2,936 miles more than it was on the 1st July, 1832. . -r' : ' - ' 'i' i ' ' I have the honor to be. I; 62 Very respectfully, ; i f Your obedientservant . 1 W. T. BARRY." In North Carohna, 733,43 in staOTsl5,288 it steamboats; 413,660, horseback and $ulkics;. 1,162,37 1 08 total Natural History. THE ELEPHANT ! is. the largest ot existing quadrupeds:, its proboscis is an organ of seizing and of touch, of feeling! and of respiration but not of smell. IfjWith this it can hold a pole or 1 branch and strike wi th tremendous violence, and with this it conveys bqth food and wa tei to the mouth; The . tusks are changed . but once4 during the life of the anirrial, but the molars change as often as detrition makes'it necessary; they do so, .howevcri not in the ordinary' manner by the new teeth pushing the old up, but "by a lateral T .1 1 - . .. 1 . . . succession from rear to front. The nasal apertures are not prolonged beyond tho bones of the nose, and do not pass" through the proboscis, and the lowerllip has a very little' motion. The shortness of its neck not permitting the animal to lower the mouth to the groundtto pastrire, it collects the grass and leaves of trees With its p obos cis. When it eats, the' muscles of the cheeks seerrTby a sort of spontaneous action to push! the food between the teeth for tri turation. Sight and hearing; are acute, tho , theeyeare 'small compared with the cnor , mcjus heady smell however jappears to be tne most perlect ot the senses of these ani mals: before death they usually discharge u, ', considerable quantity of -aqucpusy liquid through the proboscis. r : iji-' '.; ' The Asiatic Elephant is. disttngiiishcc! from its African congener; principally by the ! 1 character of the teeth already noticed -in the text; the head moreover is oblong, the fore head concave, and the cars do rjof descend lower than the neck. This species, is found ! in the; whole of Southern India, neiffhborincr islands. Tbonrrh sn and in the; ly emphlyed by man, it can hardly" be extensp sivc-con- sidered a domestic animal, as jt U not bred in captivity; but when- a fresh I supply is wanted for general purposes,! thevMfre hunt'" ed or rather sought for in their, sequestered retreat, and after being captured, are quickly reduced to servitude. Taking and tuning j wild elephants1 is an affair of 1 great momentv i ,l in fndini-n lcrintirn rf irtiiIi ti nwi mrrr I 1 omiicinnr !ii;p fnnl rnnefrai'nrxl In fnrfirn " ' i ; A strorig Elephant can carry 2000 pounds I weight, and can travel without difficulty fif- ty miles in a day; in long marches; however, 1 they! become' very tender-footed, as may ha seen' by their gait, and by their feeling will!;!, the proboscis on the ground where tJ icv are stones about to tread for a footfall without or sharp rocks, otherwise they are very nim ble for their bulk, walk up and down foot ways into ravines where camels .cannot pass and wherjj horses find difficulty. . I m . Tho period'of gestation is twenty months; the; new horn Elephant is about three feet long! and all its senses are peWeel: it sucks withjthe mouth and noj with the? projboscis, turning the latter back in that operation. Lactation! continues nearly twoiycars, anf between fifteen and twenty years old they may be said to be adult; though1 the), have a great, affection for their young, it is upiler- 1 stood thatjthese suck indifferently all the fe males jiri :the herd to which thej" belong l ney are igreganous, in herns of about 1UU, and inhabit the humid forests and vicinity of rivers,jin vhich they swim with; grpat ejse, sometimes having no part above the -surface "1 in e;-water out tne en u oi tne prooosciar, through which they Respire. When they quit ihe wsiter they are fond of collcclirg the soil alnd dust with tle jroboscj, and cover ing their bridy1 with if. U ! Though gregariousiin their habits, solita ry wild Elephants arc, sometimes met with," but these are always observed to be males, arid are in' general extrerhcly furionsV attack ing every j thing they j meet, and "doing the greatest damage; ' It seems probable that these have; been driven by stronger riyaU from' the lierd. ' "' -h- ' , . j It jis thejopiiiiori in India that, they live three- centuries, and several now injthe ser vice bf th e East India ' Comrany were old when they Came into possession ofthc Eu ropeans upwards of eighty yrnrsj ago. These old animals, however, dislike to rise . - i .. J 1 1 from the ground, ana areai nrsi unwilling to move forward, piping an angry note of dis- sent. It appeals probable, though, if is not de termined, mat there, may be nmre than ono 1 1 variety of he Asiatic Elephant distinguish i i -8 ; 1 ' ?i I :H : t'i : J I"; 7: . '. -i
The Harbinger (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 19, 1833, edition 1
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