Whole No. 2441. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. OVE DOLLAR PER ASSFSI, IN ADVANCE. For six months, 75 cents. NEW subscriptions must be paid in jdvance. If the paper is continued, and net paid within the first month, $1,25 will be charg ed; if not paid in three months, $1,50; if not paid in six months, $1,75; and if not paid in nine months, $2,00. All papers addressed to persons out of the county will be discontinued at the expiration of the time paid for, unless special request is made to the contrary or payment guaranteed by some responsible person here. ADVERTISING. Ten lines of minion, or theirequivalent,con stitute a square. Three insertions sl, and £5 cents for each subsequent insertion. MI siiaj'im. K TOWER OF SAFETY IS OUR COD. We copy the following translation of Luther's celebra ted Hymn, "KIN FKSTE BURG IST rases GOTT," from the last \[ - s ical Review, published at New York by Mason Broth en at $1 peratinum. As the followers of the distinguished Btforwer AW " ow holding an interesting meeting here,its publication is quite opportune.] A tower of safety is cur God, His word and shield defend us; In siercy he relieves the load Of evils that attend us. What though the ancient foe Stilt seeks our overthrow. Though fearful power and art In him their forte exert— God is our sure salvation. By strength of ours naught could he done. The strife full soon were ended; But for us fights the righteous Cue, By God hiuiscif commended. And dost thou ask liis name? 'Tis Jrsus Christ, the same Whom Lord of Hosts we call- God blessed over all He sliatl our .ouU deliver. Though devils at! the earth should fit!. Each c.-.g-r to devour us; The l-ord v.-ou'.d all ou. terrors quell, And victory xcide before us. Though Taken threatens still, Aud rsgi > as >m will. He never cau prevail, God's word shall make liiui quail:— The Lord will Svon subdue him. Strong in thy might, 0 Lord, > g,.. Press forward, never fearing, T"contest with our bitter foe. Thy word our spirits cheering. Thou never failing Friend, < 'n Thee our hopes depend; (..MI blessed over all. Before Thy throne we fall. Thy name we praise for ever. GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE. Concluded. la any phase of the question, this separa tion is des:r:'ijle, but in Connection with the payment of the public debt, and the redue tiuu of State taxation, it becomes an object •it more than ordinary interest. A sale, at the earliest practicable period, of the whole of our public works, for a fair consideration, upon terms just and liberal to the purchasers, I and at the same time amply protective of the light.- and interests of tle people, should be I outhurhed by the Legislature. Such sale, j with the application of the proceeds to the I payment of the public debt, would secure its ! sti.l more rapid extinguishment. The subject j is recommended to your unbiased considera tion. The law incorporating the Pennsylvania railroad company, imposed a tax of three luihs per ton, per mile, on all tonnage pausing over that road, as an equivalent tor any de crea-tin the revenues of the Commonwealth liat might arise from the ant cipated compe tition of the road with the business of the main line of the public improvements. This tax is not imposed upon the company, but upu the tonnage, and is paid by the owneis of the freight transported over the roau ; the Company acting as agents iu its collection and payment to the State. It is virtually a tax open the trade and commerce of the Com monwealth, and upon the commerce of other States, whose productions seek an eastern market over this road; and thus by increasing the rate of charges and the cost of transpor tation the produce of the west is forced upon the competing railroads of other States and to other markets than our own. The neces tity that required this tax, as regards the Commonwealth and her improvements, has ceased. Its continuance can only be justified o* a revenue measure. It should be the p.l ley of the State to invite the transmission of the products of other States through her ter ritory to her own markets, and, therefore, the Propriety of relieving the trade and business of the Commonwealth and country from this t-x upon it, is respectfully submitted for your ttm;deration. la consequence of the suspension of fcptcie payments by the banks of this and the other States of the Union, and the financial embarrassment and general pruu/atian of business, I deemed it cay duty i 0 call, as authorized by the Constitution, an 1f tri Beß sion of the Legislature, to meet at dirrishurg on the sixth day of October last. Although the relief provided by this cxtraor unary session of tne General Assembly was n 'A as ample as the exigency of the case re quired, yet it was productive of many benefi cial results, and served to allay the intense -Xcitement and alarm that pervaded the entire By the act providing for the •gumption of specie payments by the banks, . hanking institutions accepting the provis uf that law were required to pay into the u *asury one-fourth of one per cent, on their capital stock. The amount realized by the lament of this bonus has not only defrayed a.i tfi e expenses of that session, but will leave V^' anc e iu the Treasury of not less than nty -five thousand dollars—a result certainly ' t injuring to the finances uf the Common- Wealth. toy views expressed in former communica oiia on the subject of banks and ba k.r g *WUu, in their relations to the curi.-i.i_) ami C^ C K ene tal interests of liaJe i *-11111111 nii auged. However diverse our opinions may tt'' 1 * ulj l ect * 11 must be admitted by ail m 6 banking and credit systems >• - uuately interwoveu with tbe busii.ei ffSffismanD iroimininm> mv ito^b3lh®siie 8 uawiißraorcrafe uraprans ®tsrsjire 8 ' commerce of the country, that their sudden ' separation, or a rash innovation, would pro duce consequences of fearful magnitude. That the present system of banking is perfect, is not pretended ; that it could be essentially modified and improved, will not be denied. The present derangemeut of the currency may and will suggest the necessity of reform, not only in the system itself, but in the man agement of our banking institutions. Unlimited credits by corporations or indi viduals have and will ever he an unmitigated evil. They contribute to bank expansions, rash speculations, extravagant liviug and ex cessive over-trading; always sure to be follow ed by ruinous revulsions. What the remedy should be, I do not deem it my province, un der existing circumstances, to suggest; but to be permanent and effectual, it must accord with the natural and necessary laws of trade. The currency of a country forms no exception to these laws, and should" be left to their ope ration and control, so far as may be consistent with the public good. It is, therefore, that a system of free banking, based on undoubted public securities, and coin in such proportion t circulation and deposits as may be deemed sufficient to secure their conversion into spe cie, on demand, with proper limitations and restrictions, is deemed preferable to the pres ent system. Its introduction would correct many existing abuses not only in the system itself, but in the present mode of banking. These questions, however, with the remedies necessary to prevent a recurrence of the evils under which we now suffer, together with the nature and extent of the relief, if any, that may yet be required by the banks of the Commonwealth, to enable them to resume the payment of their liabilities in specie, are all referred to the wisdom of the Legislature. They are practical and important business questions, aud as such should receive your intelligent consideration. The present condition nfourCommonwealth and country deserves at least passing remark. A severe financial revulsion has (occurred, in ducing a suspension of specie payments by the bank-, nut ouly of this Commonwealth, but of ail the States of the Union, deranging the currency and affecting disastrously all the great interests of commerce and the industrial pursuits of the citizen. Labor is without employment, and thousands of strung, active meu are now asking for work or bread. The causes assigned fur these evils are almost as various as the interests or prejudices of those who undertake their explication. To what ever cause or causes they may be referred, it is neither just uor proper to charge all our 1 present financial and commercial distress to the banks and their management. However much they may have contributed, other cau ses have operated still more directly and powerfully to produce these results ; and among them first in importance and influence is the present system of low duties, in con nection with the warehousing system, adopted as the policy of the General Government in 1640 The abandonment of the protective policy, as embodied in the tariff act of 1812, was resisted by Pennsylvania with a unanim ity almost unparalleled in her history. Her representatives in both branches of the Na tional Congress strenuously opposed the re pea! of that act. The evils under we are now suffering were predicted, as a conse quence of such repeal. But other counsels prevailed, the act was repealed, and the in dustry of the country exposed to a runious compction with the chimp labor of foreign nati ins. The disastrous effects of the repeal 1 were postponed by the operation of causes I well understood by every intelligent citizen. Famine abroad created an unprecedented de- , mand fur our breadstuff's, and the gold of California, although it may have added to the { excitement of our progress, and contributed its full share in producing existing financial and commercial embarrassment, in millions, supplied tiie means of paying the overwhelm ing balances against us on our foreign impor- i tat ions. Under the present system of low I duties, the excess of imports over exports has j been beyond the most extravagant wants of j the country. They have been enormous and I ruinous—destructive of domestic industry, and involving the home manufacturer and home labor in one common ruin. We have j imported more than we could pay fur, and much more than we needed. Pennsylvania I abounds in iron ore. Iron and its manufac tures arc justly regarded as important elc- j ments of her material wealth ; and from her abundance, if properly festered and protected by a wi ;e national policy, could supply the markets of the world; and yet, sir.ee the pas sage of the act of 1840, we have imported of iron and steel, and their manufactures, more than two hundred millions of dollars in value, paid for in gold or our bonds and stocks, now held by foreign capitalists—the interest on which bat adds to the burdens imposed upon ua by our foreign indebtedness. The came is true of many other important branches of home industry. Many millions in vaiue of cotton and woolen goods have, during the same period, been imported, that should have beeu made in our own workshops, should have been woven on American, and not on British, French or German looms. As an example of the practical working of the system, official documents exhibit the fact, that during the past four years, the im ports of foreign merchandise exceeded our ex ports one hundred and eighty.four millions two thousand seven hundred and eixty-eigbt dollars ; and as a consequence, the drain of the precious metals was correspondingly great. The amount of specie sent out of the country during that period, was two hundred and thirteen millions three hundred and sixty four thousand three hundred and eighty four dollars ; —specie imported, twenty-six millions nSfre hundred and twenty.seven thousand four hundred and twenty-seven dollars: leaving a balance against us on specie account of one hundred and eighty six millions four hundred and thirty-six thousand nine hundred and fifty-seven dol lars. This depleting process, aggravated by excessive importations, unsettled the curren cy mid induced an inflated paner circulation r• -—i• iting in bank sopetishuis and financial emi iti;;. -.ni. nl But the evii does not end I.ere. A.i inflate t paper currency, by cheap ening tho price of n ney, increases in this • cy the cost of production, and thus, *■• Ameriu n jvanfacturer is expos- THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 1858, Ed, under a system of low duties, to a ruin ous competition with the cheap labor of Europe, he is paid for his goods in aourren cy less valuable than that paid to iiis foreign competitor. As a necessary result, the home fabric is driven from the market, and the home manufacturer ruined. The operation of these causes, stipulated by low duties, is sufficient to destroy the industrial energies of any people. Wish these facts before us, it is no matter of surprise that our mills, factories and fur naces have been closed, and thousands of honest laborers tbrowu out of employment; that commerce has scarcely au existence, that bankruptcy and ruin are around us, and our general prosperity paralyzed. To avoid these disasters, to which we have been peri' odically exposed, reform not only in our system of banking, but in our revenue laws, becomes indispensable. If the principle of the act of 1842 had been preserved—even if its rate of duties bad been reduced—our specie, by millions would not have gone into foreign coffers to build up and sustain the foreign manufac- ! turer ; home iudustry would be prosperous, and the cry " we want work," issuing from a thousand lips in our large cities and man. ufacturing districts, would not now be heard; nor would a foreign debt of nearly five hundred millions of dollars exist, to : startle and alarm us. That system that practically prefers foreign to home labor; that keeps our workshops in Europe, instead of building and supporting them here ; that takes our gold to pay the wages of British laborer, whilst our own arc without employ ment and without bread; that fills the country with foreign merchandise, to the exclusion of the home fabric; that lays the British rail upon the road through our iron districts, and by our rolling mills, whilst they are silent and deserted, and that in vites to speculation aud extravagance, is at war with every true American interest, and should be at once abandoned. A period of low duties has always been marked by excessive importations; large ex ports of specie; overtrading ; bank expan sions and suspensions, aud financial and commercial revulsions. Under the protec tive policy, these peculiar and startling characteristics of free trade have all been j wanting. The history of the country es tablishes these facts. A well regulated J tariff", adjusted to protect the productive in- i dustry of the country, is not only the true policy of the government, but is a better . regulator of the currency, and a more cer- j taiu security against bank expansions, than ; any system of pains aud penalties yet de- ! vised for the control of banking institutious j or the operations of capital. To this we ! should return. Pennsylvania is yet true to j her ancient and long cherished convictions ! of its propriety umi necessity. B>be may j have been misled. Political and partizau j pressure may have forced from her true po- i sition. This was her misfortune, not her fault, alio sees and feels the wrong, and with an emphasis, intensified by her inju* ! ries, will demand redress; protection lur j herself, and the great industrial interests of her people. The agricultural interests of the country should ever be f stored and ssutaiin-d by j the .State. They are first iu necessity and usefulness, and c institute the basis of State and National prosperity. Upon their pro gress and development depend the success of our mechanical, manufacturing an i com mercial interests. Agriculture, in its varied and multiplied relatiou-, is the unfailing source of national wealth, and to its promotion all should eon. tribute, individual enterprise and iiberali ty, State and county associations, have done ; much to advance this important branch of productive industry ; have collected and cir- 1 culated much valuable information ; and en- i couraged by their honorable exertions, the ! progress of scientific and practical agricul ture. Science aud art have nobly proffered j their aid—the State should not withold her j encouragement and support. 1 have heretofore recommended the estah- j lishmcnt of an agricultural bureau, in con- I iiection with soine one of the State depart- ! uit-nts, to give efficiency to the collection and I diffusion of useful knowledge on this subject. Impressed with the necessity and usefulness of such a bureau, I again earnestly recom mend it to your favorable consideration. "The Farmers' High School of Pennsylva nia," an institution incorporated by the Leg islature of 1855, is entitled to the especial attention of the friends of agriculture. In the teachings of this institution, the scieuti 1 lie and the practical are united; and whilst the art of farming, and all that pertains to tho management, business aud work of a farm, will be the subject of instruction, the natural sciences, in their relation and appli cation to practical agriculture, will also be j taught. The student of the institution will bo enabled to test, in his daily occupation, the truth aud value of the knowledge com municated. Much of the laud connected with the school has been successfully cultivated du ring the past year. Orchards of every vari ety of fruit, and hedges, have been planted, and many valuable improvements made. A double storied baru, large and convenient, as also the farmer's house and part of the out-buildings, have been erected and occu pied. From the report of the trustees wc learn that "a contract has been made for the erec tion of an edifice calculated for the residence of professors, lecture balls, and dormitories for students, to he built of stone, tour stories high, two hundred and thirty-three feet in front, with wiDgs, and to cost fifty-five thou sand dollars. This building is already in progress, aud it is hoped that a part of it may he put under roof and be so far com pleted as to enable the board to make ar rangementa to receive a few students before the close of the current year." The Legis lature, at their last session, appropriated fifty thousand dollars to this institution, uiie half of which has beeu paid; the remaining twenty-five thousand dollars to bo paid ou condition that an equal sum be realized from other sources, within three years from the p-ssage of tho act making the appropri* atiou. I he objects and character of this institu tion—its relation to agricultural knowledge, and as the pioneer in the great work of ag ricultural education, commend it to the gen ! eruus patronage of the Legislature, and to the confidence and liberality of the people of the Commonwealth. ihc report to be submitted by the Super intendent oi Common Schools vr.ll present a clear and satisfactory statement of'the gen eral operation of the system during the past year. The separation of the School from the State Department, by the act of the last sea- j sion, was a just tribute to the importance ■ and value of onr common school system,— ! The great educational interests of the State, i the care and guardianship of the intellect- j ual, social and moral improvement of the j youth of the Commonwealth, should occupy ; a prominent and independent position among j the departments of the government. If the j care of the treasure of the Commonwealth, j the development of her material wealth, aud i the advancement of her politicoieconomical ! interests, have received from the government , the marked aud distinctive recognition of j their importance, how much more should the ' mind of her youth—with its wondrous ac tivitics—its constantly unfolding energies, j and its infinite superiority to the material • and physical, claim a still higher cunsidera- ! tion, aud receive from the representatives fo the people, a more honored recognition As an independent department, greater efficiency will be given to the system —a inoTe direct aud immediate supervision will be secured—tbe details of its operation more carefully observed—its deficiencies discover ed —its errors corrected—the accomplishment of its noble purposes and objects rendered more certain, and the system itself saved from the dangerous and debasing influence of political excitement, and partizan preiu l ! dice. The county superintendence*, tested by ex- i perience, has realized the just expectations ; of the friends of tho measure, and may now ] be regarded as a permanent and iudispensa- j ble part of tbe system. When committed to competent men, it fias accomplished a noble work in promoting the success and useful ness of our common schools : and wherever ] the duties of the office have been faitfully j performed, tbe character of the schools has , been elevated, their number and the number j of scholars increased, and the confidence and I encouragement of the public secured. In 1 the hands of incompetent men, these results j have not been obtained ; but, on the contra- 1 ry, opposition has been provoked, and the ! cause of common school education retarded. ; This office should not be committed to any but men thoroughly qualified by education and experience for the performance of its arduous and responsible duties; and if the school directors of any county, in disregard of their obligations, from opposition either to the system or the office, select an incom petent person for the place, the odium of the act, and of failure to secure the benefits re sulting from a proper and intelligent admin istration of the office, should rest upon them, and not upon the law authorizing the ap pointment. The de ects of the system, when clearly established, should be promptly cor rected ; but change is not always reform ; and innovation, induced by selfishness or prejudice, may end mger its permanency and destroy its efficiency. The" act of the 20th cay of May, 1857, providing for the due training of tho teach ers for the common schools of the State, by encourageing the establishment of Normal schools within the districts designated in the j law, has received the cordial approbation of ; all interested in the success of our common schools. The passage of that act inaugura ted a new era in the history of common school education in Pennsylvania. It is a movement in the right direction ; full of encouragement and hope for the greater per- 1 feetiun and usefulness of the system. Large I and enthusiastic meetings of tho friends of \ education have been held, in many of the j districts, to promote the establishment of j Normal schools, as contemplated by the act; i and liberal sums of money have been sub- i scribed to secure this desirable object. A j noble work has been commenced, and sus- j taincd by individual enterprise and liberal- j ity—encouraged by the State, and vindicat- j ed by its own intrinsic merit, it must go on until State Normal Schools, in number and efficiency, equal to the supply of woll trained teachers, shall become the just pride and boast of Pennsylvania. The organic structure of our system is as perfect, perhaps, as human legislation can make it: but it needs the competent and thoroughly trained teacher to give it greater vitality and efficiency, and secure the full ac complishment of the purposes of this crea tion. The teacher, tho properly educated, the well-trained, the scientific teacher, is the great want of the system. We need the teaching mind, not the automaton movements of mere physical organization or antiqated routiue, to direct and control the intellectual energies of the youth of the Commonwealth. We require mind, educated mind, in our schools, that knowledge may ho communica ted, not only effectively and practically, but that in training the young, they may be taught to think —and how to think —to inves tigate, and kuow for themselves, and thus bo fitted and prepared for the bigh and re sponsible duties of the man and the citizen. This deficiency can only bo supplied by State Normal schools for tho education of teachers. To them we must look. The future is full of hope. Much has already been done to provide for their e9tablish ; ment and support. In connection with ! honorable individual effort, more legislative encouragement may be required. It should be given cheerfully and promptly. No sub ject of greater interest can claim your atten tion ; no one appeals with more reason and truth, to duty and patriotism. Teachers'"institutes, as auxiliary to Nor mal schools, should he aided by the State. I Through their agency, sustained by the no ble and self-denying efforts oi the teachers themselves, much good lias been acco "lplisn ed in educating nod training teachers, and in dignifying a profession too long underval ued by those most deeply interested in their ! useful labors. In the great work of popular education, there should be no retrograde movement in j Pennsylvania—no yielding to the impotent : clamor of ignorance, selfishness or prejudice |in their attempts to stay its progress. These one and all may denounce and condemn, but virtue, patriotism, truth, bid you onward'— Let the system be maintained in its unity and usefulness ; let it be improved and per fected in its details; but let no act of yours impair its strength, or mar the beauty and harmony of its proportions. B"sed as our institutions are on the will of the people—dependent for preservation on their virtue and intelligence—knowledge with u? should occupy the high position to which itissu pre-eminently entitled. Know ledge, founded upon the pure principles of eternal truth, is tho crowning glory of the citizen—the safe-guard and defence of the State. Education, full and free to all, is the boon we ask for the children of the Common wealth—it is tho duty, paramount to all others, the .State owes to her citizens. The subject, in all its relattons, is warmly com mended to the generous care and patronage of the Legislature. Legislation, whilst properly encouraging the development of the material wealth of the State, should recognize the still higher obligation to improve the social, intellectual and moral condition of the people. The amelioration of human suffering, the refor mation of the erring, and the correction of youthful viciousness, are objects that deserve the attention of the philanthropist and statesman. To secure these results, the ed ucational, charitable and reformatory insti tutions of the Commonwealth should be fos tered and encouraged by liberal legislation. The reports of the State Luntic Hospital, at Harrisburg, and the Western Pennsylva nia Hospital for the Insane, at Pittsbnrg will be laid before you, and will exhibit in detail their operations for the past year. These institutions, in their objects and ro- j suits, merit and should receive our warmest approbation. The condition of no class of suffering humanity appeals with more thril ling power to our sympathies than that of the insane. Ignorant of the frightful mala dy that oppresses them, shrouded in the fearful gloom of mental darkness, and shut out from the social joys of home and friends, the aid of the benevolent and the benefac tions of the Commonwealth, should be liber ally and cheerfully given to them. The House of Refuge in Philadelphia, and the Western House of Refuge near Pitts burg, again ask to share the bounty of the Commonwealth. These schools for the er ring, neglected and out-cast children and youth of the State ; these homes where kind, ness rules anu love subdues the vicious and incorrigible, should not be denied their re quest. Tho " Blind" and the " Deaf and Dumb" asylums at Philadelphia, and the Pennsylva nia Training School for idiotic and feeble minded children, present their annual claim for your sympathy and aid. The darkened eye, the silent tongue, and the weakened in tellect, in sorrow and sadness, appeal to the j representatives of the people for this boo D.— j It canuot be refused. My views in relation to "local," "special" aud "omuibus legislation" have been so fre quently expressed, in communications to tbe Legislature, that their repitition now is un necessary. Such legislation, often so eub servious of privaterights—so detrimental to the public interest, and generally so mischie vous in its consequences—should not be : encouraged or permitted. The report of the Adjutant General will be laid before you. T its valuable and important suggestions, 1 invite your careful j consideration. I must again call the attention of the ' Legislature to the subject of revising tbe militia laws of the State. They are so crude uud imperfect, in many of their provisions, and obscure in some of their enactments, that it is difficult to discover the objects in tended, or comprehend the duty enjoined.— The powers and duties of the respective offi cers connected with the military organization j of the Commonwealth, should bo more | clearly defined. Greater encouragement j should be given to the formation of vulun- j teer companies ; the entire system should be remodeled, and placed in a position to be come alike honorable and useful to the State. Tho Select and Common Councils of tbe City of Philadelphia, by an ordinance passed the 7th day ot April, 1856, and officially ] communicated to the Legislature at their last general session, proposed to convey tc ; the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania a lot of ground, in that city, for the purpose of erect ing an Arsenal thereon. By the act of the j 6th of May, 1857, the Governor was author ized to accept from the Mayor of Philadel' I phia, under the seal of the Corporation, the conveyance in fee simplo of the lot of ground ' proposed to be donated to the Common* ' wealth, for the purpose indicated. The conveyance was duly executed by the Mayor on the 26th day of June, 1857, and delivered aud accepted on the 31st day of July following, as directed by the act. The fourth section of the same act authorized tho Governor to apply the proceeds of the sale of the Arsenal in Philadelphia ($30,000 00) to the erection of an Arsenal on the lot of ground thus granted to the Com monwealth. In pursuance of the authority conferred, a contract was made with a skill ful and experienced Architect, for the ereci tion and completion of the proposed Arsenal to be large and cominodius, and adapted to the purpose intended. The building was immediately commenced under the direct supervision of tbe Adjutant. General, and is now completed and ready for the reception of the Arms, Military stores and equipments of the Commonwealth. It is of brick, three stories high, one hundred and eightytwo ; feet front on Filbert street, and fifty feet in 1 depth. The foundation walls of stone, are 1 solid and massive. The cost of construction j did not exceed the appropriation. It is a i substantial and elegant structure and will i bo a sale depository for the public arms—an 1 ornament to tfie city, and a credit to the i Commonwealth. One of my predecessors, in his annual communication to the Legislature, imme* i diately after the close of tbe late war with Now Scries—Yol. 111, No. 9. Mexico, recommended the erection of anion* ument to the memory of those citizen soldiers from Pennsylvania, who died in the service of their country in that war. It is due to them, that some public acknowledgement of their patriotic services should be made by the State. Concurring in the sentiments expressed in the communication to which reference has been made, I would also invite your attention to the propriety of erecting in the public grounds of the Capitol, a suit able monument to their memory—and thus honor those who by their nndaunted bra very and invincible valor, honored our noble Commonwealth. The publication of the Geological Report of the State, under the superintendence of Prof. Rogers, is rapidly approaching comple* tion. The engravings and illustrations are nearly completed, and the first volume now in press, which he expects will be ready for delivery soon after the meeting of the Legis lature, and the second and last volume be fore its adjournment or imediately thereafter. The style and general execution of the work will be equal, if not superior, to that of any similar publication by our sister states. It will fully sustain the reputation of the dis t'.nguished Geologist, by whom the surveys were made, and who has devoted so much crro and attention to its publication. The geological map of the State, which wiil ac< company the volumes, will not be finished before the close of the year. Great care has been taken to make it terfect in all its de tails." whole work will bo a valuable addition to geographical, as well as geologi cal, science, and will be alike useful to the citizens of the Commonwealth, and honor able to its author. Tha resolutions proposing amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth, were published as directed by that instrument. In accordance with the provisions of the Act of 12th of May, 1857, the proposed amendments were submitted to the people for their ratifi cation or rejection, on the second Tuesday of October last. The returns of said election have been received, and will be delivered to the Speaker of the Senate, as-directed by law, when the fact of their adoptiou by a large majority, will be officially ascertained and announced. The fourth Section of the first article of the amended Constitution, requires the Leg islature at their first fedsdion, after the adop tion of this amendment; to divide the City of Philadelphia into Senatorial and Repre sentative Districts, in the manner provided in that section. This duty devolves upon you, and should be performed with fidelity and due regard to the interests and rights of that city. Relieved from the imputation of selfishness, I cannot forbear presenting for your consid eration, a subject that should claim your earliest attention. I refer to the erec tion of a house at the Seat of Govern ment, for the use of the Governor of the Commonwealth. The want of a public man sion has been seriously felt by all who have been called to occupy that official station.— Whilst almost all our sister states have pro vided residences for the accommodation of their Chief Magistrates, Pennsylvania, for reasons not creditable to her as the "Key stone State," has refused to incur the ex pense necessary for the erection of such a building. The failure to provide, in this manner for his accommodation, subjects the Governor to much incovenience, often times vexatious and annoying. A suit able house cannot always be obtained here and in that event he is compelled to be shut up in the rooms of a hotel, or crowded with his family into some small and obscure dwelling, alike uutitted for domestic comfort, or the exhibition of the amenites aud courte sies of social life. It should be remembered that the Governor of the Commonwealth is ragarged as the representative of the peo ple, socially, as well as politically, and therefore he should be enabled, by every proper appliauce, to represent truly their social virtues and character. This he can not do, to the extent desired, on the very meagre salary he receives ; and I do not hesitate to affirm that no one occupying this office can, without drawing largely on his private income, exercise the hospitalities or maintain the dignity properly associated with the position. I have avoided ail useless ex penditures, and yet the salary received, has been wholly insufficient to defray the expen ses necessarily incurred. This should not bo permitted. Every consideration of public policy, every honorable impulse of proper State pride require that the Chief Execurive Officer of the Commonwealth should be pro vided with a suitable residence, at the Seat of Government, and with a salary adequate to the expenditure incident to high official position. In my last aunnal communication to the General Assembly, my sentiments were ful ly expressed in reference to reform in the naturalization laws, and the admission of applicants to the right of citizenship—to the preservation of the purity of elections, by the prevention aud punishment of fraudu* lent and illegal voting, find the enactment of a judicious registry law—to freedom us the great centre truth of American republican ism—the great law of American nationality —to the rights of the States, as Independent Sovereignties, and the power and duty of the General Government to prevent the extension, of the institution of slavery to the free ff' '< tOries of the Union—to the wrongs of Kal as exhibited in the violation of tue dual of popular sovereignty by the General I eminent, in its attempts, by the mill power of the country and otherwise, tl teat the will of the majority in that teriit.l wrongs still existiug anil aggravated by \ . cent outrages on the rights un-i \ that people, and approved by high KaiionY* Executive authority. To th** v. thel presented, you are respectfully referred. By the expiration of the constitutional te v my official connection with the governmei [ of the Commonwealth will soon cease. ' power, under the Constitution, vested in nj by the people, will be transferred to auotn-v ! of their own ; icction and with o*y warm wishes fot his success, I will, relieved tr the cares and anxieties of official place, retird ; to private life. In the discharge of the duties devolved upon me, I have endeavored, to thj
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