The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1859-01-08
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.

ID
under sufficient encouragement from success.
s,ve legislatures. From the unsatisfactory
progress made, however, and from the fact
that nothing IN relation TO the survey had
ever been published or even prcpa cd for
publication, with the exception of a pam
phlet Of \ hundred pages, the publication
Of which was obtained by the State officers
after much effort, and within the last cigh
teen men,hs,) it was deemed essential to re
organic. the corps TciS was done early
last spring, and Mr.. 4. II. Worthcn placed
at its head. The corps, under this new or.
ganization, has been actively engaged during
the summer and fall. and is now ready Ia
report. The report will comprise a volume
of some 800 pages. hope the legislature
will at once order it to he printed, that all
may know what progress has been made in
this important work. and reaiizc such bene.
fit as is dcrivable from what has cen done
The work is now progressing quite satisfxc-
toriiy; and hope that the report presently
tie be submitted to you viii encourage con
tinuance OF the requisite appropriations till
the work is completed. Four years, it is
presumed, will be sufficient to finish up the
work. For detraying the expenses of pub
fishing the report above referred to, | avail
cd myself OF the contingent fund; but for
}hc printing of that now to be submitted to
you. the legislature must make provision.
Your attention is also called to another
matter connected with the subject. There
is no building or 70, m belonging to the S ate
which can properly be used as depository
Tor specimens. and for other purposes Con-
nccted with the survey. The armOry, for
merry used for that purpose, had to be Civ.
en- up, since which we have rented private
rooms of citlZens-paying for them mostly
out Of the contingent fund This undoubt-
eddy, will no longer be done; as the IegiS'a
ture being iii session and its attention being
drawn to the subject, will, of course, pro
vide for the exigvncy.
Our present system Of banking is, in the
main, satisfactory. So far the security
of the b'iholdcrs is concerned, it seems to
he amply sufficient. Of the six banks " ach
have closed within the last two years, every
dollar of their paper, with the exception oil
that issued by single bark, was redeemed
at par 10y the auditor, out al the securities
in his hands, and the loss on the paper Of
that ore bank was a mere trit!'. lac audi
tor is entitled TO no small credit for his ia
diciou> and successful management o: the
affairs of these suspended ha-ks, by means
of which, uotw ,h>tandinG ih.!r repntcd and
and supposed insal"en'y, every dollar Of
their paper vas tul.y redeemed.
There Is At the present. time on deposit
with the auditor, $i,7lo,.t5 - Of stock Sc
cu,itics, caicu:t acc or'I."g 10 their strict
value in market; While the entire amour;
of circulation Of al the banks is 81, 200, l22;
or $3.50, 623 % less than the aTuudut actual
IL pledged as security.
There are. however, one or two defects
connected with our ~ stem which Is high y
desirable should DC remedlei. oae Of t':cse
evils is the large number Of mu,.la ed small
notes in circulation. Our currency, IN some
places seems TO be composed very largely
of small bills, SO ragged, torn and mnti!iaied
that even their denomination OF the bank
which issued them can hardly be maze out.
This is serious evil, and tends very much,
and justly. TO keep paper money IN dlsre-
putc among the peOple-besides which the
facilities it affords to rounterfel.erS Is mat
ter well deserving our consideration. Ii
has been suggested shat if backs were re-
ouir to redeem their mutt lated notes 10y
othorS at some convenient po!ut. the dithcu'-
tv might be obviaied. Whether thus he
th- true remedy, or whether in fact, there
be any remedy for this grievance in your
power 10 sppiy, are Questions ie!t to your
own wisdom.
Another circumstance connected with our
banking system, ner.tlnS your notice, l.,
that our bank notes are only current at par
within our own State, or 10 a very limited
extent beyond it. Hence ht who would
travel but for a short distance beyond the
State is compelled 20 submit In a sacrifice
Of one or more per Cent upon bills, the rc.
dcmptiun OF which is perfectly We secured
This, manifest'v, should not he. The cur
rency of our own State IS at this very hn
rnrnt a. good as tina, Of any other State in
the Un'on-uay. IL j. even safer, more Sc
cure than most Of that n hich commands a
premium over it. II may not be in your
power to correct this evil. ! suggest it to
YOU, however, as a matter well en,itled TO
be considered. As alreair minated. re-
gard our banking system as amply fu filing
all our reasonable expectations, and any
essential modification Of it l would not I
this time advise.
SCHOOL FoE IDIOTS.
Iwould again call your attention TO the
subject of establishing school for IDIOTS
Ample experience in o,her States has de-
monstrated that a large portion of that un-
fortunate class of our race are susceptible
training, and that nearly the whole OF them
may be more or less improved in those par
tculars essential TO their comfort as hu-
man, not to say rational beings. Schools
for this object have been in existence in
some Of the States for several years; and
their success has been such as to encourage
the most liberal ou,lly o! means for their
main,anance and support This class of
I'D ,l
as VII, lly ur susceptible Of advancement in
rny kind of useful knowle :ge, and they
have consequently been left to grorc their
way through lie in the most III or dest;,u-
tion Of every capacity necessary 20 render
their life enjoyable, or even enhurabie. A
brighter Cav has at length dawncd upon
them, and it is now regarded, ty rejecting
and right minded men. as one of the most
imperative of our duties to supply the neces-
Sary facilities to enable them to raise them.
selves in the scale Of humanity. A very
moderate appropriation is al! that would be
required at your hands, at least until is
shown, by actual demonstration. that such
appropriations are not only philanthropic,
Out judcious and wise.
RECORDS OF SURVEYS, &C.
You are aware that the government sur
vey> in Illinois have been completed, and
thai the maps and all the records belonging
To the survey have been deposited in the
surveyor generals Office in St Louis They
are ready for transmission to this state a.
soon as we are properly prepared to receive
them, But no provision having yet been
made by our legislature for their reception
and safe keeping. the documents are still
necessary in St Louis. and there they must
remain until the requisite steps havo been
taken by our legislature, in conformity with
the law of Congress, approved January %,
1855.
The safe keeping Of all these records of
surveys and muniments of title to land in
Illinois is certainly Of the greatest import
ance. Soon all our local land offices vii, be
closed, and the surveys and everything per: