Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1877-01-18

turing journal OF thls continent,
the Iron Age, published in the
city of New York
"ThE TENNESSEE BUREAU OF MINES.
b. "Of late years the attention Of
ironmasters, both at home and a.
broad, has been constantly direct
ed to the South, and especially to
Tennessee. Probably at this time
there is more inquiry as TO its
mineral resources from foreign cap
italists, than concerning those of
all the rest Of the Southern States.
A million dollars of British capi-
tai have already been invested
within the past two years, and
there is a strong probability that
this is but a toretaste of other
millions. For this result the
State is indebted to its wonderful
resources, but also in a large de.
gree to Col. ]. B. Killebrew, Chief
Of the Bureau of Agriculture, Sta
tistics and Mines Of that State.
We acknowledge our great indett-
ednegs to him personally, and to
his various publications for inlor-
nation which we have uniformly
found trustworthy. During the
two years this Bureau has been in
existence 1000 copies of the Re-
sources of Tennessee, book of
1900 pages, have been distributed,
besides 5000 abridgements. Prof.
Huxley, speaking Of the work
and its author, said: i am in
debted to this most admirable
work, OF which copy was pre-
sented to me yesterday, a report
of the Resources of Tennessee,
which in my judgment does inf
mite credit to the State shat paid
for it and the person who put 1t
together, which / do not profess
to have read since yesterday, yet
out of which | have contrived to
pick the sort OF Information | want
of the structure of the region
where we now stand
awe have heard it whispered
that some persons IN Tennessee
have suggested the abolition of
this Bureau. Such acourse would
be most sbort,sighted, and occasion
the highest injury TO tle State.
Tennessee needs capital from a.
broad, and the Bureau has brought
it. Col. Killebrew is wise enough
to see that it is not alone in the
development of the mineral re
sources that wealth is to be found,
but in the agricultural as well,
and bis effort has been to bring i'll
capital to this end. No state can
at the present time afford to dis
pense with such agencies, because
capitalists look for information
from official sources, and not from
parties wishing to sell, and we
speak from personal knowledge
and examination when we say
that the publications of Col. Kill
hebrew are among the fairest state
ments of the resources of State
we have ever seen. Gov. Porter,
in his canvass of the State, said
Our resources have been adver.
tised all over this continent, and
in many parts of the old world.
ANY man who has been looking
for a farm, for a water power, for
a mine of coal, iron or copper, has
had his demand for information
supplied from this Bureau and 1
state it as a fact, the climate, soil
and productions Of the State of
Tennessee have been more general
ly and intelligeDtly advertised than
those of all the States Of the South
combined
sit would be n source of the
greatest regret to those who know
its value, were to be discontinued.
$50 competent and conscientious
a public officer cannot be spared
until the great work he has under
taken, and thus far successfully
performed, is fairly completed. If.
every Southern State had placed
the work Of acquainting the pub
lie with lis resources in equally
competent hands immigration
would have been less difficult to
obtain, and capital more disposed
than now to seek investment
there
BUREAU OF INSURANCE.
State supervision of the busi-
ness of insurance is necessary for
the security Of the citizen and for
the protection of solvent compa-
nies; this supervision is now exer-
cised by the State Treasurer, who is
&c oHcio Commissioner of lnsur-
nnce. The duties OF the Treas
urer demand the undivided time
and attention of that official; his
duties as Commissioner of Insur-
ance are necessarily secondary to
that, and he cannot give to the
business of insurance the atten-