The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-07-03

vitality exhibited under such discourage
ments prompted the Legislature to restore
the annuity the next winter. Authority
was then given to the Superintendent oy
the Board OF Visitors to borrow the neces-
sary money to restore the public buildings,
accepting tender made by the Faculty Oh
one-third of their salaries as basis upon
which to hypothecate the loan. Friends
came forward and took the bonds OF the
school at par, not because they were
rood money investment to money specula
tor. but because the work itself was good
one. and they had faith that it would De
ACCOMPLISHED. Provision was then made
for the restoration of so much Of the bar
racks az would accommodate $50 cadets.
The rooms were filed as rapidly as they
were made ready. Still the work went on.
Arrangements were made during the next
summer for the admission OF 100 additional
cadets. and still these rooms are tlled, Iol
cadets being borne upon our rolls during
the last academic year. Again we are press
ing on. Continual accesslons have oeen
received in the cabinets Of the departments
of chemistry, mineralogy, and physiology.
ENGINEERING and astronomical instruments
have been supplied Of great excellence and
value two thousand volumes nave been
added to our library the hospital has been
completely restored, with all its comforts
and conveniences for the sick; and in few
months the commodious cadets mess hall,
made indispensable for the further extern
sion of our numbers, will be completed.
The cadets barracks may in short time
be entirely finished, and the work has been
commenced on the ruins of the professors
quarters. Such is the condition of the
school at the end of three years.
When We consider the universal impov
erishment Of our people, and to what ex-
tent their energies have been paralyzed by
the unsettled condition Of the country, the
restoration of the institution under the
discouraging and depressing influences sur
rounding it, and the vigor which has been
impaired to its new life by an earnest and
efficient Faculty, operating upon body of
high-toned youths thirsting for improve
ment, and catching inspiration from the
work they see accomplished around them,
constitute rational grounds of encourage
ment which cannot fail to supply effective
stimulus to continued labor until the insti-
tuition has been brought up to the fullest
MEASURE Of usefulness and rcnown.
| congratulate you, Mr.. President, and
gentlemen Of the Board, at the suspicious
circumstances under which you meet to-
day. While you witness the ruins of this
cherished institution once more resumlng
all their wonted beauty and proportions,
and again animated by the joyous throng
that now crowd every part of them, and see'
as this report will presently demonstrate,
,l.,, ,,1
rests, as well in its financial as III It's gen.
eral aspect, you cannot fail to experience
proud satisfaction at your administration;
You have given your time and LABOR anu
influence to the work in hand without stunt,
and in laying before you the report OF Wna'
has been accomplished, it IS my pleasing
duty to gratefully acknowledge these .nf!u1 =
ences as constituting one OF the chlef
agencies in all that has been done.
One; indeed, of your number has borne his
,lnwcaried part through a period OF twenty
seven years, having never failed III MS
regular attendance as Il member Of the
Board, err oticio, during this long period.
How much IF support and wise counsel l
have constantly received from this venera-
BILE and faithful public servant OF the Com
monwealth no one knows as do, who have
steadily felt the force of his strong, sustain
ing arm.
With these preliminary remarks, now
ask your attention to more detailed ex-
hibit of the operations Of each department
of the institution for the past year; with
statement of its present actual condition.
COMMODORE NJ. T. MArRY--PHYSIcAL SUR
yEY AND NAP or VIRGINIA.
I have the pleasure to announce to the
Board of Visitors that Commodore NJ. +.
Maury has signitied to ne his acceptance
of the chair in the department of Physical
Science recently rendered him by the
Board. He is expected to sail from Eng
land on the first day of July, and Will be
| prepared to enter upon his duties soon after
! his arrival in this country,
! Under the instructions Of the Board of
! Visitors, Commodore Maury has been placed
in charge of the physical sucyeg Of Virgil
mia, as proposed in my last annual report,
with the view of preparing a complete ply
steal history of the State, accompanied by
| on accurate geographical map. Such q
! work would embrace the entire physical
geography of Virginia, its minerals and
ores, its earths and soils, Its fruits and
plants, its animals, fisheries, and oyster
beds, its water power and agricultural pro-
| ducts, its climate and meteorological phe-
nomenas
1t may be confidently stated that Commo-
dore Maury will bring into the work Il larger
experience than can be found in any officer
IN this country. The organizer and for
many years the superintendent Of the Ma
tional Observatory at Washington, his fer
tile genius mas made his name illustrious
by his wonderful discoveries in the winds
| and currents of the ocean. Collating the
legs of the merchantmen as they traversed
the ocean, he constructed those wonderful
charts and sailing directions which are nov
used by every maritime nation, ahd wh,ct
have contributed so much to the trade ano
commerce of the world. Before theF"" ".... *
were known, the average passage to Cali
fornia was one hundred and eighty-thret
days, and the round trip from England Il
Australia took two hundred and fifty days
Now, fifty days are saved in the first, anc
one hundred days in the second so that a
meeting of the British Association in Lon
don in 1853 Earl narrowly, the President
estimated the saving to British commerce
by these charts to be equivalent to the an
nual sum of t2,O0O,0O0; while Hunf'
american Merchants Magazine for 1856
made the estimate 100000 as annual.
saved to the United States,
To thcSe ;Taiuaoie contributions to tn
cause of physical research he subsequent,
added the demonstrative proof of the ex
istence of Geographic plateau between