TERMS OF THE GLOBE. Per annum in advance Six months Three months A failure to notify a discontinuance at the expiration of the term subscribed for will be considered a now engage ment. TERMS OF ADVERTISING. 1 insertion. 2 do. 3 do. Pour lines or loss, $ .25 $ 37 1 4 , t, 50 One square, (12 lines,) 50 75 1 00 Two squares, 1 00 1 50 2 00 Three. squares, 1 50 2 25 3 00 Over three week and less than three months, 25 cents per square for each insertion. 3 months. 6inonths. 12 months. Six lines or less,. $1 50 $3 00 $5 00 One square, 3 00 5 00 - 7 00 Two squares, 5 00 8 00 10 00 Three squares, 7 00 10 00 15 00 Four squares, 9 00 13 00 9 0 00 Half a column, 12 00 16 00 ...... ....24 00 One column 20 00 30 00.... ......50 00 Professional and Business Cards not exceeding four lines, one year, $3 od Administrators' and Execntors' Notices, ' $1 75 Advertisements not marked with the number of inser tions desired, will be continued till forbid and charged ac cording to these terms. GOVERNOR' S MESSAGE. To the Honorable the Senators and Members of the louse of Representatives of the Cont monwealth of Pennsylvania : GENTLEMEN complying with that pro vision of the Jonstitution of Pennsylvania, which makes it the duty of the Governor, from time to time, to give the General As sembly information of the state of the Com monwealth, I am most happy, on this occa sion, again to congratulate the representatives of the people upon the highly favorable condi tion of the finances of the State. The receipts at the State Treasury, from all sources, for the fiscal year ending on the 30th of November, 1859, were $3,826,350 14, to which add balance in Treasury, December 1, 1858, $892,027 76, and it will be seen that the whole sum available for the year, was $4,718,377 90. The expenditures, for all purposes, during the same period, were $3,- 879,054 81. Leaving an available balance in the Treasury, on the Ist day of Decem ber, 1859, of $839,323 09. Included in the expenditures for the fiscal year, are the fol lowing sums, viz : Loans redeemed, Relief notes cancelled, Interest certificates paid, Making of the public debt actu ally paid, during the year, the sum of The funded and unfunded debt of the Com monwealth, on the Ist day of December, 1858, was as follows: PL' Din DEBT 6 per cent. loans, 5 Do., 44. Do., 4 Do., Total funded debt, UNFUNDED DEBT Relief notes outstanding, Interest certificates, Do. do. unclaimed, Domestic creditors, Total unfunded debt, Making the entire debt of the Common wealth, at the period named, $39,488,243 67. The Minded and unfunded debt of the State at the close of the last fiscal year. December 1, 1859, stood as follows : 6 per cent, loans, 5 do., 4 do., 4 do., Total funded debt, UNFUNDED DEBT Relief notes in circulation, Interest certificates outstanding, Do., unclaimed, Domestic creditors, Total unfunded debt, Making the public debt on the first day of December last, $38,638,061 07. Since the close of the fiscal year, the Com missioners of the Sinking Fund have re deemed, of the five per cent. loans._ the sum of $160,000, leaving the real debt of the Com monwealth, at this time, funded and unfun ded, 538,4-78,061 07. If we deduct from this sum the amount of the bonds received by the State, from the sale of her public works, and now held by her, as follows Bonds of Pennsylvania railroad en. Bonds of Sunbury and Erie railroad co., Bonds of Wyoming canal co., Total, w•e have i 427,397,901 07, the remaining debt of the Commonwealth, the principal and in terest to be provided for, from the ordinary sources of the revenue. It will be observed, that from the first day of December, 1858, to the 31st day of De cember, 1859, a period of thirteen months, besides meeting all the ordinary demands upon the Treasury, there has been actually paid, on the principal of the public debt, $l,- 009,282 GO: When it is remembered, that during this period, the law reducing the State tax upon real and personal estate, from three to two and a half mills, has been in full force, and that nothing for the last year has been re ceived from the Pennsylvania railroad com pany, on account of tax on tonnage, making the receipts, from those two sources of reve nue, less by four hundred thousand dollars, than they were for the proceeding year, it is a source of congratulation that, under such circumstances, a result so favorable has been produced by the ordinary operations of the Treasury. For nearly tw3 years past, the State has been entirely free from the ownership or management of canals and railroads, and the gratifying result, thus far, is, that her public debt is now less than it has been since the year 1842,.and is decreasing at the rate of nearly one million of dollars per annum. It is now morally certain, that nothing but the gros.sG'Wnisma - na - keinent of the financial !..`;;rests of the State, can prevent its sure and speedy extinguishment. Why should not Pennsylvania press onward until she is •en tirely free from debt ? She is no longer en gaged in the construction of great works of internal improvement, nor is she the propri etor of railroads or canals. Relieved of these, governmental action is greatly simpli fied, and is now happily limited to subjects of a purely governmental character. Hav ing ceased to be interested in ordinary busi ness pursuits, it is her plain duty to devote her best energies to relieving her people from the burden of an onerous debt. When this great result shall have been accomplished, the necessary expenditures of an economical administration of the government, can bo readily met without the imposition of a State tax on real or personal estate—the remaining Si 50 75 50 WILLIAM LEWIS, VOL. XV. sources of revenue being more than sufficient for all legitimate purposes. Until that end, so anxiously looked to, is secured, true wis dom, as well as sound policy, dictates, that our resources should be carefully husbanded —that none of our present sources of reve nue should be cut off, or diminished—that all departments of government should consult a proper economy—that_ all extravagant and unnecessary appropriations should be avoided —and that every new scheme for embarras sing the Treasury should meet with marked condemnation. Encouraging, as are the results of the past two years, it must not be forgotten, that we have but just commenced the payment of the principal of our debt; and that to prevent a misapplication of the public finances, and thereby insure a continuance of its reduction, from year to year, is manifestly the first duty of those placed by the Constitution in charge of the Public Treasury, and to whom belongs the exclusive right of raising, economizing and appropriating the public revenue. I earnestly commend this whole subject to the careful attention of the Legislature—entirely satisfied, that, as it is the most vital of all the interests committed to the charge of the General Assembly, it will receive that con sideration which its importance so eminently demands. $840,302 30 4,137 00 4,843 30 In my last annual message, I communica ted to the General Assembly all that, up to that period, had been done under the act, en titled " An Act for the sale of the State ca nals," approved April 21, 1858. Since the adjournment of the last Legislature, satisfac tory evidence having been given to me, of the compliance of the Sunbury and Erie railroad company, with the conditions mentioned in the third section of the act referred to, the the State Treasurer, under my direction, has delivered to the company the canal bonds for t ; wo millions of dollars, deposited in the Treas ury under the provisions of the said act. The railroad company has also become en titled to, and has received, one million of dol lars, of the mortgage bonds referred to in the sixth section of the same act ; leaving mort gage bonds amounting to two and a half mil lions of dollars, still remaining in the Treas ury of the Commonwealth, to be delivered to the company, " from time to time, pari passu, with the progress of the work, as ascertained by the returns and estimates of the chief en gineer of the said company." "When the bonds, last mentioned, shall have been sur rendered to the company, as directed by law, the State will still hold, as absolute owner, three and a half millions of dollars of the mortgage bonds of the company, payable in the year 1872, and in the six succeeding years, as mentioned in the act of Assembly, with interest, at the rate of five per centum, per annum, payable semi-annually, on the thir ty-first days of January and July of each Fear. Interested, as the Commonwealth is, in the early cpmpletion of this important thor oughlhre, it affords me great pleasure to be able to inform the General Assembly, that the progress of the work, for the past year, has been highly satisfactory. The Eastern division of the road, extending from Sunbury, in the county of Northumber land, to Whetham, in the county of Clinton, a distance of eighty-one miles, is finished ; passenger and freight trains passing over it daily. The Western division, extending from the city of Erie, to the borough of Warren, in Warren county, a distance of sixty-six miles, is, also, completed, with regular pas senger and freight trains now running over it daily. Making one hundred and forty-sev en miles of railway, along the line of the route, that have been already brought into practical operation—one hundred and seven miles of which, exclusive of sidings, were fin ished during the past year. On the interme diate portion of the line, between the borough of Warren and Whetham station, a distance of one hundred and forty miles, ninety-five and a half miles are graded, leaving but for ty-four and a half miles yet to be graded, to place the whole of the unfinished portion of the road in a position to receive the super structure. If no untoward event shall delay its vigorous prosecution, another year will not pass before the entire line of the road will he finished and in use; thus affording a •'; direct and continuous communication, by ; railroad, from the city of Philadelphia to the harbor of Erie. 849,282 60 $445,180 00 38,420,905 GT 388,200 00 100,000 00 39,354,285 67 $105,350 00 23,357 12 4,448 38 802 50 133,958 00 $400,630 00 37,625,153 37 388,200 00 100,000 00 38,513,983 37 $101,213 00 18,513 82 4,448 38 802 50 124,977 70 $7,300,000 00 3,500.000 00 '281,000 00 1.1,051,000 00 By the twenty-second section of the act ap proved the 13th day of April, 184 G, entitled "An Act to incorporate the Pennsylvania railroad company," it is provided, "that all tonnage, of whatsoever kind or description, except the ordinary baggage of passengers, loaded or received at Harrisburg, or Pitts burg, or at any intermediate point, and car ried or conveyed on or over the said railroad, more than twenty miles, between the 10th day of March and the Ist day of December, in each and every year, shall be subject to a toll or duty, for the use of the Commonwealth, at the rate of five mills, per mile, for each ton of two thousand pounds ; and it shall he the duty of said company, between the 20th and 30th days of July, and between the Ist and 10th days of December, in each and every year, after thirty miles or more of said rail road shall have been completed, and in use, to cause to be made out, and filed with the Auditor General, a true and correct statement, exhibiting the amount of said tonnage, so loaded or received, and the distance so car ried and conveyed, during the respective pe riods intervening between the said 10th day of March, and the 20th day of July, and the Ist day of December, in each and every year; which said statement shall be verified by the oath or affirmation of the receiving or for warding agent or agents, or other proper offi cer or officers, of said company, having knowl edge of the premises ; and at the time of fil ing said statement, or on or before the said 30th day of July, and the 10th day of Decem ber, in each and every year, the said compa ny shall pay to the State Treasurer, the amount of said toll or duty, so accruing for the use of the Commonwealth, during the respective intervening periods before men tioned." And, in a supplement to the act just referred to, passed on the same day, it is further provided, " that in case the said com pany shall, at any time, fail to pay the toll , 0., ci. fii I . ; Z , 0 7.1• V Z. .F.klS • A‘ Vl' % 4 1*. '4•l:= .., 43' or charge on tonnage, which may accrue, or become due to the Commonwealth, under the provision of said act, the same shall be and remain a lien on the property of the said company, and shall have precedence over all other liens or incumbrances thereon until paid." But the act of the 27th of March, 1848, the tax on tonnage of five mills per ton, per mile, from the 10th of March to the Ist of December, was commuted to a tax, of three mills per ton, per mile, during the whole year. Subsequently, by the act of the 7th of may, 1855, lumber and coal, were made ex empt from the tonnage tax. In pursuance of the provisions of the sev ere! acts referred to, the Pennsylvania rail road company has paid into the Treasury of the Commonwealth the following sums, viz For the fiscal' year ending Nov. 30, 1851, $7,521 93 Do do do 1852, 16,680 49 Do do do 1853, 65,228 59 Do do do 1854, 112.880 50 Do do do 1855, 129,230 56 Do do do 1856, 220,018 51 Do do do 1857, 179,933 75 Do do do ISSB, 222,303 02 Since July, 1858, the railroad company has refused to pay this tax, and consequently there is now due from said company, on that account, exclusive of interest, the sum of $350,405 00. On the 21st of February, 1859, an account was settled, by the Auditor General, against the company, for the tax on tonnage, from the 21st day of July, to the 30th day of No vember, 1858, inclusive, amounting to the sum of $87,375 22. From this settlement, the company, on the 19th day of April, took an appeal to the court of common pleas of Dauphin county ; and, in the specifications of objections which were filed, it was averred that the tax was unconstitutional, and an opinion to that effect, signed by eminent coun sel, was filed in the office of the Auditor Gen eral, at the time the appeal was entered. In August last, the cause was tried, and after a full investigation, and argument, the consti tutionality of the law imposing the tax was affirmed by the court, and a verdict and judg ment rendered in favor of the Commonwealth, for the amount claimed, with interest. The case has since bg,en removed, by a writ of er ror, to the Supreme Court of the State, and will, probably, be heard and determined, by that tribunal, in the course of the present winter. On the 25th day of August last, another account was settled against the company, for the tax on tonnage, from the 30th day of No vember, 1858, to the 20th day of July, 1859, amounting to the sum of $159,308 58, from which an appeal has also been taken by the railroad company, and which will probably be tried during the present month. As this question largely affects the reve nues of the Commonwealth, and as the prin ciple involved is one of the first importance, I have deemed it a duty to lay before the General Assembly, somewhat in detail, the history of this tax, and the present condition of the legal controversy growing out of its imposition and enforcement. It will be ob served, that the power of the State to grant chartered rights and corporate privileges, to a railroad company, upon the condition that it shall pay to the Commonwealth a portion of. its earnings, in the shape of a fixed tax upon the freight carried over the road, is questioned by the company, and that, too, after the grant has taken effect, and while the corporation is in the full enjoyment of all the benefits conferred upon it by its charter. The question, it is true, is a legal one, and its decision, therefore, rests with the judicial department of the government; but, I have not the slightest doubt, that the decision, when had, will 'entirely vindicate the right of the government to impose the tax, and to compel corporations of its own creation to obey the law from which they derive their existence. When it is remembered that the tax was originally imposed, in order to in demnify the State, to some extent, for losses which she was sure to sustain from a compe tition, which was inevitable, between the rail road authorized, and her main line of public works ; and that this competition did, not only seriously affect the revenues of the Com monwealth, derived from her public improve ments, but ultimately induced the sale of the main line to the railroad company itself, at a price many millions of dollars below what it would have produced, in the absence of such competition, it is certainly not to be presumed that the Commonwealth will willingly yield her demand for revenue from this source, un til she is, at least,- fully indemnified for the pecuniary injury sustained in the deprecia tion of her own property, by her liberality extended to the company which now denies her power to enforce a contract, voluntarily entered into, upon a consideration entirely adequate. The annual Report of the Superintendent of Common Schools, with the tables and doc uments accompanying it, will exhibit the condition of the vast engine of social im provement to which it relates. The number of pupils, in all the public schools of the State, is 634,651—0 f schools, 11,485—and of teachers, 14,071. The schools have been in operation, on an average over the whole State, five months and nine days. The average sal ary of male teachers, is $24 36, and of fe male teachers, $l7 79, and the cost of in struction, per pupil, fifty-three cents per month. The average tax for tuition, &c., is about five and a half mills, and fur building purposes, about three and one-sixth mills on the dollar. Including the city of Philadel phia, the entire cost of tuition, &c., was $2,- 047,661 92; the building expenses, $531,- 413 85 ; and the whole expense of the sys tem, in the State, for the year, $2,579,075 77. Though the school year ending on the first Monday of June last, was one of unusual difficulty in money affairs, yet the system manifests an encouraging activity in all its departments, while the rate of taxation, both for tuition and buildings, would appear, from the official report, to have somewhatdecreased. Rut, it is by a contrast of the present condi tion of the system, with that of 1854, when the agencies now operating so beneficially, were created, that results are most plainly seen. Within that period, the whole num ber of pupils has been increased nearly one seventh—of teachers, one-thirteenth—and the ~., P l / 4 - : r .'.. - k< t :, . 4 -.ft: * . ? ‘..4.,.. • - liz- - - . . HUNTINGDON, PA., JANUARY 11, 1860, t / • -PERSEVERE.- salary of teachors, the best index of improve ment, of one-sixth the males, and one-fourth for females. These results, with the others which the official report will exhibit, uner ringly point to the duty, as well as necessity, of the utmost care and attention, on the part of all public agents, to this primary social institution—primary in importance, no less than in the career of each citizen. To strength en; to retain pure, and to properly direct, this fountain-head of social influence is, it seems to me, the great duty of the law maker, in his highest and most responsible capacity, as the framer of the future State. The attention of the General Assembly was called, somewhat at length, to the existing condition and further requirements of our school system, in the annual message of last year. It is not, therefore, necessary to re peat the suggestions and conclusions then presented. They are again, however, com mended to your favorable consideration ; the events and experience of the intervening pe riod, having increased the, conviction of their propriety. This is especially the case in re gard to the plan devised by the act of 20th of May, 1857, for the due training of teach ers for the common schools of the State. A full supply of competent teachers, is admit ted by all, to be the great need of the system, and the first want to be provided for. Uner ring indications, in every quarter, not only establish this fact, but point to the general adoption of the proposed means, at no dis tant day. The efforts of the teachers, them selves, for professional improvement, encour aged and sustained by all who duly estimate the value and influence of the teacher's of fice, not only foretell this, but the strong pub lic sentiment in favor' of institutions for the purpose in question, confirms the probability of this result. In every quarter, indications of this kind are perceived—more or less strong in proportion to the force of local circum stances. In the Second Normal district, com posed of the counties of Lancaster, York and Lebanon, an institution, up to the full re quirements of the law of 1857, has been es tablished and officially recognized, and is now in successful operation, as a State Normal school. For its details the Legislature is respectfully referred to the annual report of the Superintendent of Common Schools; but, I should do injustice to the intelligent enter prise which moulded, and the enlarged phil anthropy which produced, this noble institu tion, as well as to my own feelings, were I to forbear congratulating you upon the result. It is the first fruit of a law which 3eerns to be as much in accordance with the cautious, yeegeqerous, character of our people, as it is admirably adapted to effect the great end in view. All that seems requisite to give full effect I and general success to the plan, is, at this Juncture, to guard it from mutilation, or rad ical change. If the intelligent and liberal minds that are now weighing the project, and contemplating its extension to other parts of the State, be assured that this is the settled policy, their efforts will be concentrated, their activity increased, and final success be has tened. Whereas, radical or important chan ges, will destroy this growing confidence, crush the hopeful efforts now being made, and postpone for years, if not totally destroy all hopes of success in this essential depart ment of public instruction. The true course will be to cherish the law, and bring it into general operation, by holding out the certain ty of State aid to each institution established under it, as soon as a certain number, to be fixed by law, shall have been legally recog nized, and are in full operation. The money of the State, appropriated in this manner, will effect more benefit, in proportion to the outlay, than in any other of the operations of the system. The instruction of the child is a duty ; but the instruction of the teacher is economy as well as duty. It will probably be advisable to make such appropriations, payable only when the schools are legally recognized and in full operation. This course will have the double effect of guarding against loss by the State, and of stimulating into early existence, a sufficient number of insti tutions to supply the existing want in every quarter of the State. The period for the third election of County Superintendents is rapidly approaching, and the public mind will naturally he turned to the results of the office. My own observation, as well as information from various and reli able sources, leads to the opinion, that this office, when filled by the proper person, and its duties discharged in full compliance with the design and spirit of the law creating it, has been of great advantage to the schools.— Indeed, no candid person can deny the fact, apparent to even slight observation, that more improvement has been effected in the work ings and results of the system, since the cre ation of the office of County Superintendent, than in any previous period of even double duration. It is true, that when exercised by incompetent officers, or crippled by insuffi cient compensation, little, if any, advantage has accrued. But this is no argument against the office itself; and it is to be hoped that the directors of counties thus heretofore deprived of the benefits of this agency, will, at the next election, acting under the teachings of I experience at home, and the light of success from other parts, correct this evil and realize the full benefits of this provision of the law. The increasing ease and soundness of our financial condition, will, at no remote period, justify an addition to the common school ap propriation. The general policy of the State has been that each district shall raise within itself the main support of its own schools but an annual donation, distributable amongst them all, in proportion to population, has al so been a part of that policy. The object of this State grant seems to be two-fold : First —lt is the means of securing regularity in the proceedings and reports of the several districts, so that the Department of Common Schools shall have the requisite information for the due discharge of its functions : And second—lt lightens, in some degree, the bur den of local taxation, to the relief of the poor er and more sparsely peopled districts. An increase of the annual appropriation would enhance both these objects, and whenever the finances of the government will justify it, Editor and Proprietor commends itself to the favorable considera tion of the Legislature. The aid which the Legislature has hither to extended to the establishment of the Farm ers' High School of Pennsylvania, strongly evinces their high appreciation of the advan tages which it is anticipated will grow out of that institution. While it must be admitted that knowledge is as essential to the art of farming, as it is to all the other employments oflife,we cannot but feel deeply interested, that a community so peculiarly agricultural as we are, should have all the advantages of an ed ucation which combines in itself, as well the knowledge of the practical art of agriculture, as scientific acquirements is all those branch es of learning which are especially applica ble to its profitable pursuit. A school where agriculture is practically taught, is a new field to which our attention has been called ; and one which, because of its great impor tance, well deserves our attention. It em braces the principle, that while youth are taught habits of industry, they are impressed with the proud consideration, that the labor of their own hands contributes to their acqui sition of knowledge. And thus, too, educa tion is brought within the reach of many a bright genius, who would otherwise struggle and languish for the want of the means of ac quiring it. Our school, within its limited means, has been in successful operation du ring the past year ; having under its charge one hundred boys, who, while they are care fully instructed in all those branches of sci ence which pertain to a high order of educa tion, are daily engaged in practical operations of the farm—fitting them to return to rural life, and to infuse throughout the State an amount and kind of knowledge which must ultimately produce a most beneficial influ ence upon this most cherished branch of in dustry. The practical workings of the school, for the past year, have impressed the trustees, who have it in charge, with the highest hopes of its complete success. The great interest which is everywhere felt throughout the Com monwealth, in the further extension and pro gress of the institution, commends it to our care and protection. The State Librarian will report to you the completion of the descriptive and classified catalogue of the books in the State Library, authorized by the act of the 16th of April, 185 S—a work, from the details it embraces, of much labor, but which will greatly facili tate the use of the Library. It will be seen, from his report, that the origin of the Libra ry dates far back in the history of the Pro vincial government, and that it received the fostering care of the Commonwealth during the period of the Revolution. It is gratify ing, that, notwithstanding the waste to which it has been subject in past years, owing to the want of proper attention—under the careful supervision of the present Librarian, it has, since he has had the charge of it, nearly doubled its number of volumes, and now con tains in all 22,000 volumes—the largest State Library in the Union, with the single excep tion of that of the State of New York. The collection of law books especially law reports, is considered by those competent to judge, among the best in the country. The Libra ry, from its intrinsic value and importance, and its historic relations, deserves, and I trust it will receive, the continued liberality of the Legislature. In my inaugural address as well as in my last annual message, I expressed the opinion that our present banking system was ex tremely defective, and that, unless it were radically changed, I should consider it an imperitive duty to withhold the Executive approval from all bills creating new banks. Without again giving in detail the reasons which influenced my action on this question, or repeating the suggestions and recommen dations heretofore made to the Legislature, it is proper to remark, at this time, that my convictions have been confirmed, by time and reflection—that my opinions remain unchang ed, and that I cannot approve of any increase of banking corporations under existing laws. If corporate privileges, fer banking purposes, are needed, to accommodate the business wants of any portion of the State, justice requires, that such institution should be compelled to protect the community receiving its circula tion, by requiring that ample security shall be given for the prompt redemption of its notes, the sufficiency of which no act of the corporation could impair. All experience in this State, and elsewhere, has demonstrated, that the present system affords little or no protection to note-holders, beyond the per sonal integrity of the officers controlling the management of the several banks. For a full exposition of my views - on this question, I respectfully call the attention of the General Assembly to my last annual message. The reports of the Auditor General, the State Treasurer, the Surveyor General, the Adjutant General, and the Attorney General, will be laid before you, and will show, in de tail, the operations of their respective de partments for the past year. Deeply impressed with the belief that the present mode of receiving, keeping and dis bursing the public revenue, is entirely un safe, and inadequate to the complete protec tion of the interests of the Commonwealth involved, I again respectfully, though earn estly, invoke legislative action on this highly important subject. The receipts and dis bursements of the Treasury are each, annu ally, from three to four millions of dollars.— At times there is on hand a balance exceed ing ono million of dollars. The State Treas urer gives security to the Commonwealth in the sum of only eighty thousand dollars.— Hc deposits the money of the State when and where he pleases, and it is paid out upon his check exclusively. His accounts are settled by the Auditor General, once a month, and this is, apparently the only safeguard provi ded by law to prevent the illegal use of the public funds while under the control of the State Treasurer. That the Treasury of the Commonwealth has hitherto escaped from dssastrous defalcation, is owing to the integ rity of the officer, and not to the efficiency of the laws ; and while our main reliance, in the future, must be on the honesty of the offi cers to whom the department is entrusted, it is, nevertheless, the plain duty of the gov ernment, by proper legislative enactments, to prevent, as far as possible, the illegal, im proper or fraudulent use of the funds of the State by a faithless or dishonest public agent. I respectfully recommend that pro vision be made by law that no money shall be deposited in any bank, or elsewhere by the State Treasurer, without first requiring security to be given to the Commonwealth for the prompt re-payment of the sums de posited ;—that all checks, issued by the State Treasurer, shall be countersigned by the Au ditor General, before they are used;—and that daily accounts of the moneys received,. deposited and disbursed, shall he kept in the office of the Auditor General as well as in the Treasury department; and that weekly statements of the balances in the Treasury, and the places and amounts of deposits,. shall be kept in a book to be provided for that pur pose in each department. Thh Commissioners appointed in pursu ance of the resolutions of the 10th of April, 1858, to revise the Penal Code of this Com monwealth, have presented to me their final report, which is herewith transmitted to the General Assembly. Its importance to our whole community, and the great labor devo ted to its preparation, commend it to your early and earnest attention. The• man ner in which the duties of the Commission have been performed, cannot fail, in my opin ion, to receive your approbation. I commend to your fostering care the State Lunatic Asylum, at Harrisburg—the West ern Pennsylvania Hospital for the insane, at Pittsburgh—the Asylum for the Blind, at Philadelphia—the Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, at Philadelphia—the Pennsylvania Training School for idiotic and feeble minded children, at Media—the House of Refuge, at Philadelphia, and the Western House of Ref uge, at Pittsburgh. These excellent, charita ble and reformatory State institutions have done, and are doing, almost incalculable good, in the relief of suffering humanity,. and in the reclamation and reform of the erring young. They have strong claims upon the continued bounty of the Commonwealth.— The annual report of these noble charities will be laid before you, and will exhibit •in detail, their operations during the past year. I refrain from recommending, as proper ob jects for the bounty of the State, a number of benevolent and charitable associations, equally humane and beneficient in their op erations; because they are entirely local in their character, and however meritorious their claims may be, and unquestionably are, upon the respective communities for- whose partic i ular use they are founded and conducted, in • my opinion, they have no claims upon the ' Treasury of the State, which can be recog nized with a just regard to the interests and rights of other sections of the Common weal th. The editor of the Colonial Records and Pennsylvania Archives has prepared a copi ous index to the whole work, which will be laid before the Legislature, at an early day of the session. This publication is now com pleted, and it is a satisfaction to know, that the records of the colony, as well as those of the State, preceding the adoption of the Con stitution of 1700, are now of easy access to the public, and in a condition which renders their entire destruction impossible. I recent, mend that a suitable sum be paid, by the Commonwealth, to the editor of the Records, and Archives, for the work performed by him since the discontinuance of his salary. I have so repeatedly presented my, views to the Legislature, of the evils arising from local and class legislation, that it is not ne cessary again to repeat them. I desire, how ever to call the attention of the General As sembly to the fact that we have, on our stet ute books, general laws providing for the in corporation of railroad•, turnpike, bridge, plank road, gas, water, insurance and other similar companies, and that all corporate powers granted by the Legislature, to such companies should be under these general laws, so that they may be a uniformity in the provisions of similar associations, and that the time of the General Assembly may not be occupied in passing bills of great length, when a simple reference to the details of the laws would answer every purpose. The practice of sending to the Executive a large number of bills immediately preceding the final adjournment of the Legislature, is highly objectionable, and ought, as far as practicable, to be discontinued. Its necessa ry consequence is, either to compel the Exec utive to approve bills which he has not fully examined, to sign them after the final ad, journment, or, if he disapprove them, to re turn them to the next General Assembly with his objections. Thus imposing upon a succeeding Legislature the final disposition of bills, with the origin and passage of which it had no connection. To illustrate the evils resulting from this practice, it is only neces sary to inform you, that, of the large number= of bills presented for my approval, within a day or two of the adjournment of the last Legislature, I am constrained by a sense of duty, to return, with my objections twenty three to the present Legislature, for re-con., sideration. NO, 29, It is apparent from the exhibit of the finan cial condition of the General Government, re cently made public, that the wants of the Federal Treasury will demand a revision of the existing tariff laws of the United States, with a view to an increase of the revenue de rivable from imports. When this revision shall take place, it is greatly to be desired, that a proper regard for the industrial inter ests of the country will prompt the Congress of the United States, to place her revenue laws upon such a basis, as to afford to our great mining and manufacturing intert•sts the lar gest incidental protection. To substitute specific for ad valorem duties, on a certain class of articles which from their nature are of equal, or nearly equal value—or to change the foreign to a home valuation,—with a moderate increase of the rates now imposed, would I am satisfied, infuse new life and vig or into all the various departments of indus , try, and, at the same time, without imposing burdens upon the people, afford to the Gen eral Government a revenue amply sufficient for all its wants. The early admission of the Territory of Kansas as one of the sovereign States of the Union, under a constitution legally enacted, and fully and fairly ratified by the direct votes of a large majority of the people of the Territory, will remove from the National Legislature a subject which has hitherto, in no inconsiderable degree, attracted the atten, tion of the Nation, and which, from the na ture and extent of the discussions in Congress, has been productive of much orimination and recrimination between the various sections of our common country. Popular Sovereignty having finally prevailed, in the full, free and fair adoption of the fundamental law of the Territory, according to the wishes of the peo, ple, this vexed and dangerous question, in that Territory, may now be considered as satisfactorily and perpetually settled. Copies of the correspondence between the Governor of Virginia and the Governor of Pennsylvania, on the subject of the recent
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