Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-01-24
Report of the Beard OF Literature the
General Assembly.
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, ]
OFFICE OF THE LITERARY BOARD,
PoIo;uB Dooaa,,6o,- 9iI 1860

| Raleigh, December 9M, 1866.
GENTLEMEN Tho President and Direc-
tors of the Literary Fund of North Carroll
na respectfully submit the following report:
| All the sources of annual income belong
ing to this corporation have been perma-
nently or temporarily cut off, as 1t result of
the war. Its income consisted chiefly of
dividends on the Stocks in the Banks of
North Carolina aud Cape Fear, and in the
Wilmington and Weldon and Wilmington
and Manchester Railroads; the Bank Stocks
amounting to S., ,047, 100, which may be
considered total loss; and the Stock in
these Railroads, 100000, has been render
ed unproductive by the ravages of war
These Roads have been put i'll excellent
condition, and are doing an active business,
but the expenses of repairs have absorbed
all their income. They viii probably be
unble to declare dividends for some time
to come. The Stock held by the Board
In the Cape Fear and Roanoke Navi-
cation Companies has never yielded any
dividend. The State Bonds held by this
Board, issued prior to the war, amount, fer
principal aud accrued interest, to about
$500, ,O00-;tnd for bonds issued during the
war to about 500, G00. Cor precision, sec
Treasurer's report. AS 40 provision has
been made for paying any interest accruing
on State Bouds, no income is derived from
this source.
The Board holds small amount of bonds
Oh corporations and individuals, for par
ticulars, see Treasurer's report on which
no interest has been paid since the close Of
the war.
small amount, set forth in the Treas
urer's report, has been received for licenses
to retailers of liquors and auctiOneers, aid
for entries of vacant land The receiL IS
frc itrt. ,t n h.
permanent fund of the Board and cannot
be used to keep up schools, OF even to de-
fray the indispensable expenses of execu-
ting the trust committed to our charge
1t follows that the present Board has had
no funds to Distribute to support schools,
nor to detray any expense, however trivial.
The only matter Of Importance to which
wecOuld direct our attention WAS the Swamp
lands held by the Boar
In order TO exercise the power to sell
these lands, with any discretion the Board
first directed its attention to aecertaining
the boundaries and location Of thcin-anu
the quantity and quality of each body OF
them. The State Geoiogist, under the
direction of the Board, after diligent
search, found many Of the maps of surveys
made Years ago. and collected many of the
reports of the engineers and previous
Boards Of Literature touching these lands;
but none of them set ont the boundaries
with sufficient precision, or gave such other
description of each body of land, as we
needed, and as person treating for pur
chase would require, to act with Judgment
We had no funds under our control to de-
fray the expense OF obtaining this accurate
information.
Another insuperable difficulty in the way
of etfecung sales, was clOud resting on
our title. About the year 1880, the State
made sundry grants to David Allison and
other land spectators, each grant covering
many thousand acres. After the State had
expended large sums of money III draining
some of these swamps, claimants appeared
setting up title under these grant. Gov.
Morehead, in his report Of the 4th of De-
cember, 1874, sets out the following eX-
penses then incurred in reclaiming q part
of these lands, to wit
For Alligator Canal, .......... S63, 799 SO
For PungO CANA, ,........... 30, ,3l6 50
For Tributaries to Puugo Canal, %, 576 %
For Tributaries to Alligator
Canal, observation-disclosures. 24,JSi 80
For Surveys, Nc, &c., ,....... % 6SS rs
Total amount, ........... SIG, $50 S5
Other large expense has been incurred
in the drainage of Open Ground Prairie in
Carteret County, and examinations and an
alvsis Of the soils of many tracts. But as
soon as it was hoped that these lands were
saleable by these heavy expenses in drain
ing them, this difficulty as to title arose.
During the administration of Gov. Gra-
ham, suit was instituted at the instance
of the Board, in the County of Washing
ton, intended to settle the validity of the
title of one of these large claimants. BY
consent Of parties, it was referred to Judge
Ruffin, who, doubtless, for sufficient rea-
sons, has made no award, and the suit is
still undecided.
Notwithstanding the surprising fertility
of these lands, as shown by the reports of
Professor Emmons, and information de-
rived from adjacent proprietors who have
reclaimed, and ascertained their produc-
Iiveness by actual cultivation, the Board,
awaiting the decision of this and other sim
liar litigation as to the title, seems to have
almost withdrawn attention from these
lands.
The present Board has ascertained that
a large part, if not all, of these lands, grant
, d in vast tracts to land spectators, was
few years thereafter sold for the taxes, and
bid in and re-conveyed to the State. Many
of the deeds, evidencing these sales for
taxes, and re-conveying the lands to the
State, are on file in the Office of the Secre-
tary of State. Some of them are on file in
the Office of the County Court Clerk of Car
teret,-and, probably, others may be found
on fuller search. By reason of these re-
conveyances to the State, and Sundry Acts
of the Assembly touching the subject, it is
believed that all cloud on the States title
is removed.
In August last, the Board sold Lake Ellis,
in the County of Craven, to W. F. Lewis,
for $8, 900, payable on the first day of Jan
uary, 1867, and reserving the title until the
purchase money shall be paid. The obi
gor is understood to be a man of large
means, and the drainage of this lake, if
successful, it is hoped will enable the Board
to sell, at a good price, two neighboring
lakes of much larger area.
The Board has had proposals to buy small
portions of these lands in Onslow, Carte
ret and elsewhere, and has inquiries from
individuals and Emigration Societies, as to
what sum we would take for the whole of
them. We have made no sales except that
of lake Ellis, and have fixed no price at
which we would sell the whole, because of
our want of accurate information as to
boundaries, quality and ualue and our ina
,,.lor 1a uc f0 nnplov and