of man, but highly promotive of that most desirable blessing. The diseases incident and peculiar to our climate, are limited in number and easily subjected to proper medical treatment. New England, with its hills and mountains, its streams and its rivers, and which so many of our citizens are proud to acknowledge their mother-land, affords scarcely a more salubrious clime than it is our happy lot to enjoy.

Peace reigns within our borders. Our country maintains amicable relations with all civilized powers of the earth, and no lowering prospect threatens to disturb our quiet. We are also happily exempt from all domestic violence.

The

Other blessings attend us to crown our joys with gladness. labor of the husbandman, during the past year, has been crowned with abundant success. Rich harvests have amply repaid his toils.Abundance is every where to be found in the land, and at every step we meet the most satisfactory proofs of permanent prosperity. The wild forests are fast giving place to cultivated fields, and our citizens every where find an ample reward in the produce of their industry.

Of these and similar blessings we should never be unmindful, and for their enjoyment we should, humbly and with contrite hearts, render thanks to the great Ruler of the Universe, to whom alone we are indebted for every good and perfect gift.

The constitutional provision, which requires the representatives of the people to assemble at least once in each year, is designed to secure a more strict accountability in those to whom the execution of the laws has, for the time, been entrusted. Offices are created for public good alone, and their incumbents are at all times answerable for the manner in which they have discharged trusts confided to their care. Among the duties, devolving on you, not the least important will be that of enquiring into the present condition of public affairs, and of learning the manner in which they have been administered during the year now brought to a close. The strictest scrutiny is invited and every necessary aid will be afforded to enable you to prosecute your inquiries with success. No fame should screen, no repu

tation should exculpate, and no dignity should shield a faithless or defaulting public officer who has wilfully, or through negligence, betrayed public interests entrusted to his keeping.

The promotion of science and literature deserves your fostering 'care, and I doubt not will receive from you the attention its impor tance demands. The happiness of all political communities, in an eminent degree, depends upon the intelligence of their inhabitants.Where ignorance prevails, vice and misery predominate. In a free government, if rulers be abandoned and profligate, it is because vice reigns among the people; for no vicious man could obtain promotion except from men vicious like himself.

Universal education is the only sure basis on which republican institutions can permanently exist. If we recur to history, whether of ancient or modern times, the examples we there find confirm this important truth. An ignorant, a degraded and an immoral people would be neither prosperous nor happy under a free constitution.-Their ignorance would prevent them from understanding and appre ciating their rights, and their degradation and immorality would make them fit tools for demagogues more wicked than themselves.

The condition of every nation, whatsoever may be the form of its government, is to a great extent ameliorated and made happy in proportion to the degree of useful information possessed by the mass of its inhabitants. The people, who are enlightened and who know their natural rights, will not submit as serfs and slaves to serve imperious lords; and among such a people the irresponsible and arbitrary will of rulers must give place to permanent and equitable laws. As a nation becomes enlightened correspondent progress is sure to be made in the improvement of its government; and revolution will secure what rulers refuse to concede.

Under our free institutions the government is the will of the people and knowledge should be the birth-right of every citizen. Education should not be restricted to a few, or to a favored class-the mass of the people produce the wealth and constitute the strength of the body

politic, and to them should instruction in all useful branches of knowledge be extended. But for the general intelligence that exists, the order and harmony of society, which we now so much admiro, would soon give place to chaos and confusion.

Among the subjects that are likely to engage your attention during your present session, that of common schools is perhaps, second to no other in importance. These primary institutions constitute the only sure medium by which the education of all can be secured. The enactments on the subject, above all other laws, should be certain, definite, and easy to be understood. Such however, is not their condition, and an entire revision is required. It will be entirely within your province to determine how far alterations may be made with public advantage. An examination into the school systems of other and older states may afford information that will enable you better and in a more satisfactory manner, to discharge your duty in perfecting our own. Without assuming to dictate in regard to the details necessary to give efficiency to the system you may adopt, I may be permitted to suggest that provision should be made for the establishment of school libraries as numerous and extensive as the means devoted to that purpose will permit.

The amount received into the treasury during the last fiscal year, to the credit of the common school interest fund, was $28,399 6-100. About eight thousand dollars of this sum not having been received in time for distribution, yet remains in the treasury. This revenue is the interest accruing from the proceeds of the sale of the sixteenth section in every township as designated by the original surveys of public lands. In a few instances small portions of the school lands have been leased; but the general policy has been to make disposi tion by sale. The moneys received on sales has been loaned and the interest thereon, together with the interest on sums yet remaining dae and secured upon the lands is devoted exclusively to the support of common schools. As a large portion of the lands yet remain unsold, and as a part of the money already received, it is feared, has

been loaned upon insufficient security and losses from other causes are apprehended, it is at this time impossible to estimate the value of the fund, or to make probable calculation of the amount of revenue to be derived from it. The whole amount of principal now drawing interest is $474,600.

The amount received during the last year to the credit of the university interest fund was $9,035 40. Seventy-two sections of land were relinquished by Congress for the support of a University in Michigan, and the fund in question is the interest on the proceeds of their sale, and devoted to the payment of teachers in the University and its branches and to defray expenses incurred for such other objects as the regents deem necessary for the prosperity of the institu

tion.

The causes which prevent an estimate of the value of the school fund, render it impossible to determine the value of the university fund. The minimum price, at present fixed upon the lands, is twelve dollars per acre; but it is believed that a large portion cannot be sold at that rate for many years yet to come. A reduction of price, however, is not deemed advisable at present. About one quarter of the lands has been sold, and the amount now at interest is $132,576.

This fund is embarrassed by anticipation of its revenue. A loan of $100,000 has been made on its account, for the payment of which and the accruing interest the fund is pledged; and this is calculated greatly to impair the present usefulness of the institution. The money has been expended and, except the buildings at Ann Arbor and the library and the apparatus they contain, little or nothing remains to show the usefulness or beneficial results of its expenditure. The interest due on account of the loan has been paid to the first day of July last but for the amount that has accrued since, no provision has been made. As, from every consideration of justice, this interest should be paid with the least possible delay after it becomes due, I respectfully recommend that the State Treasurer be authorized to retain each year a sufficient sum from the University interest fund and

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apply it to that purpose. The remainder, when received, should, of course, be subjected to the control and disposition of the Regents for the beneficial purposes of the institution.

During the last collegiate year, branches of the University have been in operatoin at White Pigeon, Kalamazoo, Tecumseh, Detroit and Ann Arbor; at all of which places, except the latter, teachers have been employed by the Board of Regents, at an annual salary of five hundred dollars and the tuition fees. The primary department, or branch at Ann Arbor, has been under the charge of the professors in the University, who have been allowed, as perquisites, the fees received for tuition. For the year commencing in September last, appropriations have been made by the Regents of only two hundred dollars each to the branches at Tecumseh, White Pigeon and Kalamazoo. The branch at Ann Arbor is continued on the same conditions as heretofore, and that at Detroit without any assistance from the Board.

The main institution was opened on the 25th of September, 1841, and now contains about thirty students. Four Professors have been appointed, of whom two only are yet under pay. The sum of $600 per annum and the occupancy free of rent of one of the houses built for that purpose are allowed to each of the professors, besides an equal share of the fecs for tuition received from the primary department. The facilities and inducements for study at the University of Michigan, are not excelled by those of any other similar institution of so recent establishment, and, in some of the sciences, particularly that of natural history, greater advantages are afforded than elsewhere can be had in the United States.

It is believed that the condition, both of the common school fund, and the university and, might be improved and their productiveness increased by committing their care to some officer other than the Superintendent of Public Instruction. In the management of those funds, order of talent and qualifications are required, differing so essentially from the acquirements necessary to direct public instruction,