Resolved, That a Select committee of three be appointed to prepare and report to the Senate, a Bill for the incorporation of Railroad Companies; and that until such report, no Bill granting a special Charter for a Railroad Company, shall be considered on a third reading.

Mr. Lewis moved a call of the Senate,

Which was had,

Whereupon it appeared that Messrs. Allen and Sharpstein were absent,

And the Sergeant-at-arms was despatched for the absentees;
And Messrs. Allen and Sharpstein appeared in their seats;
And the question being upon the adoption of the resolution,
Mr. Lewis called for a division of the question;

And the question upon the adoption of the first part of the resolution having been put,

It was decided in the negative,

And the ayes and noes having been called for,

Those who voted in the affirmative were:

Messrs. Bashford, Briggs, Lewis, Pinkney, Prentice, Stewart, Wakeley and Whittlesey.-8.

Those who voted in the negative were:

Messrs. Alban, Allen, Blair, Bovee, Bowen, Cary, Dunn, Hunter, McLane, Miller, Reed, Sharpstein, Smith, Squires, Sterling, Vittum and Wiel.-17.

The question upon the adoption of the last part of the resolution, having been put,

It was decided in the negative.

Bills were introduced and read the first and second times, as follows:

By Mr. Stewart,

No. 17 (S), A Bill to allow appeals to be taken from the decisions of the Register of the State Land Office.

By Mr. Squires,

No. 18 (S), A Bill to authorise the Secretary of State to audit certain accounts, and to provide for the payment thereof.

By Mr. Dunn,

No. 19 (S), To amend an act entitled "An Act to incorporate the Mineral Point Railroad Company," and approved April 17, 1852. And an accompanying memorial referring to the same subject.

By Mr. Prentice,

No. 20 (S), a Bill to incorporate the Watertown and Oak Grove Plank Road Company.

By Mr. Sharpstein,

No. 21 (S), to provide a code of proceedure in the general courts of this State.

By Mr. Sharpstein,

No. 22 (S), a bill to appropriate to the Kenosha City Guards a certain sum of money.

The printing of said bill No.17 (S) was dispensed with, and the bill referred to Committee on Judiciary.

The printing of said bill No. 18 (S.) was dispensed with and the bill referred to Committee on State affairs.

Said bill No. 21 (S), was referred to the Committee on Incorpora tions.

Said bill No. 22 (S), was referred to the Committee on Claims. A message from the Assembly by their Chief Clerk:

Mr. PRESIDENT:

I am directed to inform you that the Assembly has concurred in the Resolution of the Senate, authorizing the Librarian to appoint Delancey Thayer assistant Librarian during the present session of the Legislature.

Message from the Governor by his private Secretary:

ERECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
Madison, January 18, 1853.

TO THE SENATE:

I have the honor herewith to transmit to you the Report of the State Superintendent of Publie Instructions, and also the commu

nication of Gen. Smith on the Subject of the Documentary History of Wisconsin.

LEONARD J. FARWELL.

[For Report of State Superintendent of Public Instruction, See Appendix B.]

MINERAL POINT, January 1, 1853..

To His Excellency, LEONARD J. FARWELL,

SIR:

Governor of the State of Wisconsin:

The compilation of a history of Wisconsin from the earliest times to the present period, embracing truthful annals, accurate statistics, and memorable incidents of early emigrants life, together with a collected Documentary history of the Territory and State, is a subject which has always had your warmest encouragement as a private citizen, and of late your earnest recommendation to the attention of the Legislature, as the Executive of the State. Such recommendation has been responded to, at the last session of the Legislature, and under sanction of law, the work has been undertaken, and is now in such a state of progress as the time and labor requisite thereto was permitted.

In many of the old States of the Union, the neglect to secure such information as tended to the elucidation of their history, whilst it was yet in the power of living witnesses to impart it, has been always severely, and very often ruinously visited. Time in many instances, has not only greatly impaired the sources, but even totally destroyed the vestiges of the desired information, and at this day great labor is employed, and much wealth is expended in the endeavors to restore the evidences, or recall the memories of the past, a small portion of which, had they been applied in proper time, would have produced lasting benefits to posterity, and spared the unavailing regrets of the present age.

We certainly owe something to succeeding generations, even if

we fail to collect and transmit the records of the past, we can assuredly note the annals of our own time, and each truthful statement will be accordingly valued by posterity. How much of the fable of History would be spared-how much its truth cherished -how greatly would the human mind be enlightened and the social world be instructed if the yearly records of communities had been faithfully preserved by the cotemporaries of the transpiring events, perpetuated through channels which might be relied on as veracious. This debt which we owe to our descendents, we are now endeavoring to discharge.

Although the living generation may remember the early immigration to Wisconsin as having occured within less than a quarter of a century, and although a vast number of the pioneer settlers are still living, yet we have an ancient history that requires research and preservation. Wisconsin can look back upon early adventurers for two centuries past, and in the records of the Jesuit Missionaries her progress can readily be traced during the seventeenth century; subsequently her history is embraced with that of the whole valley of the Mississippi; and as a position of the North Western Territory, the public documents of our nation supply ample material for her annals. It is during her existence as a territory, and as a state sovereignty, that the task devolves on her. self, of making faithful and living records, such as the present age may contemplate, and future times receive, with confidence from our hands.

The contemplated work on Wisconsin presented itself to our view, as properly to be separated into three general parts.

First, The history of this portion of the great North West, the earliest period of its being known to Europeans, down to the present time.

Second, The history of the settlements of the present State of Wisconsin, its progress, and actual condition in our own day.

Third, The documentary history of our State under collonial, territorial and constitutional government.

The first part also presents the following subdivisions:

- 1st. Its annals (if they may be so called) from the advent of the Jesuit Missionaries to these regions in 1633, down to the close of the year 1699, at which time, France, in virtue of her possessions in Canada, and the recent discoveries of Marquett and La salle followed by the armed occupation of the mouths of the Mississippi by Ibberville, claimed the country from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Great Lakes, by the name of New France, and the whole of the valley of the Mississippi, by the name of Louisiana.

2nd. Its annals from the year 1700 down to the Peace of 1763, at which time, by virtue of the capture of Quebec by Wolfe, and by the terms of the treaty of Paris, New France and Louisana were ceded to Great Britain.

3rd. Its annals from the year 1763, during the revolutionary War, and embracing the expeditions fitted out by Virginia, until the year 1787, when by the session of Virginia, the whole of the North west Territory was merged in the general government of the United States.

4th. Its annals as a Territorial government.

5th. Its annals as a State government.

The second part presents the following sub-divisions:

1st. A separate and distinct account of each County in the State, discriptive and statistical.

2nd. An account of the settlement of each Township in each County, embracing its particular discription, local advantages and all proper statistics.

The third part will comprise the Documentary history of the State, and in this may be found all such matters as properly belong to our history, when considered in a social or political point of view, as, all treaties with the Indian tribes whereby the title to the country became vested in the United States by purchase.

Narratives of Individuals, in relation to the Black Hawk war, and other Indian disturbances, with other incidents belonging to such events.