cabinets, no more than eloquent instructions, can make thorough and accomplished scholars, in the absence of a noble emulation to excel on the part of students. It does seem to me, that if there was to be a time when a young Louisianian | would be roused to exert himself to reflect credit upon a college in his own State, it would be now when a false and perverted public sentiment is making almost impossible to him the prosecuting of his studies in those institutions of the north, which, like Harvard and Yale, from having been the lights of the country and looked to for half a century as the conservators of all that was good and true, have become the centres of an influence upon the mind and literature of the country deeply to be regretted. Instead of resisting they have stimulated the wild public sentiment around themtheir professors rushing into anti-Nebraska political and religious meetings, and talking of exchanging their professorial robes for those of the soldiers to do battle in the cause of freedom! Strange language indeed in the connexion uttered-coming from Yale, one of whose best and purest presidents (Dr. Stiles) was at one period of his life a slaveholder, and so far an encourager of the slave trade as to have sent to Africa for a negro. Harvard University, in its selection of such noted higher law abolitionism as the Hon. Amasa Walker and the Hon. Anson Burlingame as examiners of the classes of political economy, and in its recent deposition of Judge Loring from lecturer in its law schools, because of his honest and manly discharge of duty under the fugitive slave bill, has made a step even beyond Yale College in the effort to keep pace with what is called the moral sentiment (frenzy) of the day. It is with no pleasure I speak in this way of these institutions, for I graduated at Yale, and studied law at Cambridge, and for their presidents I entertain a respect approaching to reverence. Presidents Woolsey, of Yale, and Walker, of Harvard, are good and learned men, and of far too much wisdom, I am persuaded, to sympathise in the displays of some of their adjuncts. I do not desire to prejudice you against the institutions of the northern States of the Union, nor by an allusion to objectionable influences unfortunately prevailing in them to diminish respect for what of scholarship and philosophy is truly admirable in them, but to awaken a feeling of pride in the fact of your membership of an institution within our borders, which it is a duty to cherish as the light and ornament of the State. While I would not go to the extent of Governeur Morris, of revolutionary memory, and provide by will against the education, under any circumstances, of a son in a New England State, I feel that I may very properly congratulate you upon being connected with an institution like Centenary College, located in a pleasant and healthy portion of the State, blessed with good and able professors, and annually contributing to the educated mind of the country in an alumni, many of whom are honorably distinguished in all the walks and professions of life. STEAMBOAT STATISTICS. The Cincinnati Gazette publishes an interesting statement prepared by W. W. Guthrie, esq., local inspector, showing the number of steamboats in existence on the western and southern rivers, and the number of disasters for the six months ending June 30, 1855. From this it appears that 39 boats were totally lost. The estimated damage to boats was $573,700, and to cargoes $1,229,800. Thirty-one lives were lost. Twelve steamboats were destroyed by fire, 7 were damaged by ice, 52 were sunk or damaged by snags, 5 were damaged by explosion, and 7 by collision. The whole number of boats on western and southwestern rivers are put down at 600. Mr. Guthrie says: "It is worthy of remark that there has been no explosion or collapse of flue of any boilers manufactured since the passage of the law by Congress of August 30th, 1852, and coming under the reduction of steam pressure. In every instance, the disasters have been from boilers made previous to the passage of that law.” AMERICAN IRON. Everything at present indicates a prosperous condition of the American iron trade. Our pig iron is now in far better repute and demand than it has been for a long time, and, by the attention of the manufacturers, it has been so improved as to possess all the valuable qualities of the Scotch pig. The Philadelphia American states that the Mount Hope and Hibernian iron mines, in New Jersey, are doing a large business. The rolling mill at Rockaway, N. J., has been enlarged, and is now driven by steam, instead of water power, the steam being generated entirely from the waste-heat of the building and heating furnaces, so that no more fuel is used than under the water power system. The mill is now constantly employed. AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. GRAIN CROP OF 1855.* 1. Growth of wheat in each State, 1847,-'50,-'55. II. States in which there is a deficiency of production when compared with consumption. III. Export from the United States 1847,-'54. IV. Average production per acre and period of harvesting. V. States producing surplus beyond consumption. VI. European wheat crop. The importance of the grain crops is such to every class of the community, that we have taken pains to form reliable estimates from the most available sources, as to the production of the present year throughout the United States. The general result, so far as the wheat crop is concerned, will be highly satisfactory to the whole country; and will show that while we have the greatest abundance for our own population for the next twelve months, we have a liberal surplus for export to Europe and South America. Some of the States show a product of from one hundred to five hundred per cent. beyond that of 1847, the Irish famine year. This increase is almost incredible, but we think the returns for the current year will fully bear us out in our estimates, namely: Estimated production of wheat in some of the old as well as the new States and Territories in 1855, compared within 1847 and 1850, showing the vast increase in the eupply. In the following tables, to which we direct the careful attention of the reader, it will be found that we differ materially from the calculations or estimates of some of our contemporaries. The latter were prepared without full research into the probable production of each State. The estimates were upon crude materials. Nothing can demonstrate more strongly the present productive power and the prospective wealth of the Great West, than the official tables of the grain crop of that region. From reliable data we show that Illinois alone will produce this year 6,000,000 of bushels of wheat, or nearly one-tenth of the whole crop of the country. Ohio, 20,000,000; Indiana, 12,000,000; these three States producing more than one-fourth of the whole. *From The Banker's Magazine, New York, September, 1855. ...... Although the States west of the Mississippi do not at present make much show in the cereal crops, they will soon exhibit a stronger position. Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota will, in a few years, produce as largely as Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan. Our first table is a comparative exhibit of the product of the years 1847, 1850, and 1855, namely: I. Estimate of the growth of wheat in the different Territories in 1855, as compared with the production of 1847, as per Patent Office Report; and 1850, by Census returns, viz: Maine..... New Hampshire. Vermont Massachusetts.. Connecticut New York New Jersey. Maryland. ...... .... District of Columbia. Virginia.... North Carolina... 2,350,000 2,130, 102 4,000,000 South Carolina........ 1,300,000 Georgia ................ 1,950,000 1,088,534 4,000,000 Alabama.. ............... 1,200,000 500,000 Louisiana. These estimates indicate a product of seventy-five per cent. beyond that of 1850, and one hundred and seventy-five millions in the aggregate. If we allow 3 bushels of wheat per head annually, or one hundred millions of bushels for home consumption, we shall then have on hand, for export or future stock, about seventy-five million bushels. The New England States and some of the southern States are indebted to the west for their wheat and flour; and here the "harmony of interests" is beautifully demonstrated. The cotton of the south and southwest, and the cotton fabrics of New England, go far to compensate the west for this indebtedness. The deficiency in these few States we estimate at about twelve million bushels, namely: II. States in which there is a deficiency in the quantity produced for consumption, allowing 3 bushels to each inhabitant in the manufacturing, and 3 bushels in other States: III. As a vast source of income, and as a means of paying a heavy indebtedness. to Europe, let us look at the aggregate value of our export of bread tariffs. And in this exhibit, we certainly have cause for congratulation, namely: Exports of breadstuffs and provisions from the United States to foreign countries, for each fiscal year, from 1846 to 1854, namely: IV. We must look to the Mississippi valley, and to the really far west, (Texas and Oregon,) for prolific soils. In order to show the relative productiveness of the several States, we have examined the subject carefully, and we think the following conclusions are very near the truth: Table showing the average number of bushels per acre and the time of harvesting in each of the principal wheat growing States: |