morality so essential to the formation of character where character is so valuable and so highly appreciated as it is in our young and prosperous city.

Any measures which shall attain to the accomplishment of those objects, whether it be through the influence of one or more institutions, will meet with the unqualified approbation of our citizens, and will be hailed as an indication of a state of things which is to give to our institutions and to our standing as a people prominence and stability at home as well as character, respectability, and influence abroad. The establishment of libraries, schools, literary and religious institutions is one among the many striking features of San Francisco, and decidedly marks the energy of our people; and their disposition that law, order, and good conduct should be observed, and that society should be formed upon a basis which gives character to other communities, where experience has taught the value of institutions calculated to promote the moral and intellectual capacity of the people.

I propose to give a few moments to the consideration of the present condition of our association, and to our available means for sustaining the heavy expense we must necessarily encounter. In pursuing this subject, however, I shall not attempt to go into detail, but only in brief give a general idea of our condition. The monthly expenses are about $600-say rent, $200; librarian, $175; assistant-librarian, $80; incidentals, $145.

To meet this expense we have 472 shareholders and subscribing members, paying each one dollar per month, or $472 per month, leaving a deficiency of $128, which sum may be considered fully provided for by the usual increase on our subscription list.

Our roll of members at present consists of-honorary, 41; life, 39; shareholders, paying, 302; subscribing members, paying, 170; total, 552. Number of bound volumes, 3,315, being an increase of 590 volumes since the first of May last.

We have many hundreds of magazines and periodicals, not included in the above estimate, a large supply of daily and weekly newspapers from various parts of our own as well as other countries; in fact, through the kindness of editors and publishers, our reading matter relating to the current affairs of the day is as complete as, in our remote position, we could reasonably expect. I cannot more understandingly bring to your knowledge the continued increase of our associa tion than by giving a statement of the books taken from the library during a portion of the past year; and commencing with the opening of our rooms in our present location, we find that there have been delivered by the librarian to readers, who have removed the same to their residences, books as follows, through the several months say--March, 103; April, 172; May, 166; June, 244; July, 316; August, 346; September, 387; October, 483; November, 598; December, 556; showing the remarkable increase of from one hundred to more than five hundred within a period of ten months.

This fact, of itself, is a convincing proof of the signal success which has attended our efforts to create a taste and disposition among our citizens to attend our rooms, read our books, and render us such assistance as their presence, the use of their means, and their influence were calculated to afford us.

We have derived much benefit from the appointment of an agent in the city of New York--Mr. C. B. Norton--who has kindly consented to supply us with new publications, and to take charge of and forward to us whatever may be entrusted to his care.

Our receipts by donations during the past few months have been quite large. The following are the names of some of those to whom we are indebted in this respect--to all of whom, on behalf of the association, I beg to tender my grateful acknowledgement for their liberality:-

Hons. Thomas H. Benton, James Savage, John B. Weller, Wm. M. Gwin, A. C. Dodge, R. C. Winthrop, J. A. MacDougal, M. S. Latham, Edward Everett, C. K. Garrison; Messrs. Halleck, Peachy, Billings & Park, Tilden & Little, Britton & Rey, De Witt & Harrisson, Farwell & Curtis; W. H. J. Brooks, F. W. Macondray, William Wood, C. J. Dempster, Theo. Payne, J. H. Purkitt, H. C.

Beals, H. C. Clark, Washington Bartlett, David S. Turner, Henry A. Harrisson, W. H. Stevens, A. Thomas, Frank D. Stewart, P. W. Cornwall, Wm. Blackburn, C. C. Wisner, David Jobson, G. W. Murray, Jonah Drake, Richard Rising, G. W. Tickenor, M. Bixley, J. W. Sullivan, P. C. Egan, J. S. Hittell, J. Coolidge Stone, A. G. Randall, John J. Tayker, H. Benham, Thos. C. Downer, Lawrence Phillips, Edwin Lewis, T. W. Sutherland, C. C. Southard, M. M. Noah, H. La Rentrie, Win. Baker, Jr., D. Hale Haskell, Joseph W. Finlay, George H. Davis, Wm. R. Wadsworth, Conrey, J. P. Haven, J. Smith Homans, Luther Severance, L. L. Blood, John Perry, Jr., Nathan Scholfield, Theo. A. Mudge, James Holden Lander, Charles L. Strong, A. G. Lawrence, F. A. Macondray, F. C. Ewer, Thos. Tennent, J. H. Rider, Capt. John F. Schander, Capt. Wm. MacMichael, Capt. E. S. Coffin, Capt. Cressy, ship "Flying Cloud," Alta California, Pacific, James Lenox, Esq., New York city, B. B. Burt, Esq., Oswego, New York, C. C. Rafu, Esq., Copenhagen, Denmark, by Joseph Frontin, Esq., F. A. Woodworth, Esq., Rev. W. A. Scott, A. D. Bache, Esq., United States Coast Survey, Smithsonian Institute, New York Society Library, New York Mercantile Library, together with many others whose names appear on our books, recorded as patrons of our association.

My limits will not allow me to particularize all the individual favors we have received through the kindness of many friends who have materially assisted us by their donations.

The course of lectures commenced during the past season was not as successful as we could have wished; nor were they generally well attended, and the disinclination for this kind of instruction was such as to induce a suspension of the course, to be renewed again, however, when the public taste shall be more in favor, and public amusements less numerous and less attractive to our people. The debates which have been held at our rooms have occasionally brought forward subjects of much interest, and have generally been conducted with a degree of ability highly creditable to those concerned in them, while the nature of the subjects introduced have stimulated our readers to a critical examination of books of reference and history, as beneficial to their particular purpose as it was to their general stock of knowledge upon such subjects as might be before them. I should do injustice to my own feelings, as well as to the gentleman of whom I am about to speak, if I did not allude to the very efficient aid we have received from our librarian, Mr. Horace Davis; and although he has, to a considerable extent, been relieved in his duties by his faithful assistant, John J. Tayker, yet, when we take into consideration that in addition to his constant service in the library he has arranged, written out, and corrected our catalogue, which was to be compiled after a careful examination of each work in the library, we shall place proper estimation upon the value of his service, this being the first catalogue, and without means at hand, for assistance, which might have been obtained in other cities, rendered it a work of much labor.

The establishment of libraries from the earliest days down to our own times is a subject which has engaged the attention of wise and good men of all countries; and the advantages to be derived from such institutions are especially adapted to our own State and people, and we have before us in the establishment of our own association a proof of the favor with which our enterprise is looked upon by that class of our community of whose approbation we should be proud to be the recipients, and whose encouragement has not failed to give us strength in our most trying condition.

In this connection I beg your indulgence for a few moments, while I digress from the subject before us and notice matters bearing close analogy to that which we are now considering.

I conceive our public schools, public libraries, and our public press the three great engines which control the destinies of our people, and give distinctive character to citizens of the United States. In our public schools our children are trained with such care and with such success that they enter with a peculiar fitness upon the higher grades of intellectual attainment, as they are to be found in our public libraries, which, in the present arrangement of our literary institu

tions, seem to be so organized as to be admirably adapted to the extension of that condition of intellectual acquirement of which our public schools are only preparatory. And it is through the machinery of the public press that the intelligence which is acquired in our schools and libraries is disseminated through all portions of our country, giving character and influence in a degree corresponding to the extent and respectability which is assumed by those having it in charge.

But I return to the consideration of our subject, and although I am sensible of the liberality with which our efforts have been met by our citizens, I cannot dismiss from my mind that many of them are not aware of the value of our association, or the extent of time and exertion which has been necessary to bring it to its present prosperous condition, and will trust that their liberality will be continued, and their interest in its welfare so increased as to give a wider range to its usefulness and prosperity.

Some attention has been given to the subject of creating a "Building Fund," in order to enable the association to take the necessary steps towards procuring a building adapted to our accommodation, and arranged upon such principles as would not only accommodate our members, but at the same time reduce our expenses for rent, if not even be made to produce an income. This subject is of great interest to us, and will receive the careful attention of those gentlemen to whom its consideration has been committed, and I trust that in their wisdom they may be able at no distant period to bring the matter forward in such manner as shall meet the views of our friends.

Our institution at present is but a miniature of what it is to be, and perhaps may be thought of as a matter of too trifling importance to be the subject of an annual report; but our desire is to attract attention to our real condition and to the objects we wish to accomplish.

The education of young men destined to become merchants, or in any manner connected with commercial pursuits, is a subject which should command our first attention; it is through them and by their various associations, that our successors are to be brought in contact with people of distant countries, and through their means civilization, with its attendent blessings, borne upon the wings of Commerce, is to be conveyed to those benighted regions which are yet without the elevating influences of Commerce-the delights of civilization, or the hopes of immortality, through the glorious system of Christianity. I would now, in conclusion, ask your attention while I refer to matters of a personal character, and to circumstances connected with my retirement from the official position which, through your kindness, I have been permitted to occupy during the past two years.

By a wise provision in your constitution, I was ineligible to re-election, having served the full constitutional term; but were this not so, I could not consent again to devote the time necessary to a performance of the duties required, while I was aware that many others amorg your members were better calculated to promote the interests of your institution, and better able to devote the time necessary to a performance of the duties devolving upon the president. And it is matter of congratulation that your choice has fallen upon a gentleman in every way calculated to promote your best interests-one who is competent, willing, and energetic, and to whom you may look for such attention as will insure success and prosperity beyond that which you now enjoy.

Many of you are aware that in November of last year I left San Francisco on a visit to the Atlantic States, and that at the regular monthly meeting previous to my departure, my resignation as president of your association was brought forward, which, however, the meeting refused to accept, resolving at the same time that I should retain my official position and represent your interests where ever it should be in my power to promote measures connected with your pros perity. This evidence of your confidence and proof of your kindness, induced its withdrawal, but with the full expectation that I should be relieved from my duties by the election of a new president at the close of the year.

My surprise was great at hearing of my re-election while continuing my visit, and gratified upon my return here to find the improvements which had been ef

fected during my absence; the removal to the rooms as occupied at present, the increase of members, improvement in financial affairs, and general condition of prosperity, rendered it evident to me that by judicious and energetic action, you were too firmly established to admit of any doubt as to your future success.

And now, gentlemen, having partially and imperfectly reviewed our transactions for the past two years, and being about to take leave of you in my official capacity, and surrender into other hands the execution of those duties which I have endeavored to fulfill, I feel that I cannot close my remarks without calling to your minds the improvement we discover in our association, in a social view, independent of our moral and literary advancement.

Those of you who were among the first in this enterprise will well recollect how frequently it was necessary to adjourn our monthly meetings for want of a constitutional quorum, and how small the number of visitors at our rooms, as compared with the present-indeed the most striking feature of encouragement is, that we now find our rooms well filled with visitors every evening, quiet, respectful, and attentive, giving their time and attention to the cultivation of their intellectual faculties, and thereby avoiding the dangers to which they must necessarily be exposed by indiscriminate participation in our places of public amusement and entertainments, and the many allurements connected therewith. This is matter of great gratification; and in a few years we shall look back upon our efforts in the establishment of this institution with satisfaction at having taken at least one step towards improvement of the moral and intellectual condition of the citizens of our young and enterprising city.

I cannot refrain from giving expression to my grateful feelings for the many acts of kindness, the ever-respectful attention, and the perfect obedience to rules, as exhibited towards me by the members upon all occasions. This has been to me peculiarly gratifying, and has so fastened upon my heart that I shall not be unmindful to the last day of my life.

To the Board of Directors, and to the officers with whom it has been my privilege to be associated, I cannot find language to give expression to the great gratification I have experienced during my co-operation with them-during all the trials and vexations we have passed through in the establishment of this enterprise we have ever found, upon every occasion, that the execution of a duty called forth the best feelings of all concerned, and no objection or disposition to shrink from service has ever been indulged in by any member of the Board, from our organization down to the present time.

It has been by this concert of united action by the Board of Directors, a fixed determination on their part to succeed in our undertaking, and assisted by the liberality of our citizens, that we find ourselves to-day in the enjoyment of a library and rooms which would be creditable in any Atlantic city of equal size, free from debt, with money in our treasury, and composed of members of such character and standing as to give warrant to the realization of our most sanguine expectations as to the continued prosperity of our institution.

And thus, gentlemen, however unworthily I may have performed the duties which your confidence has entrusted to my care, or however unacceptably I may have presented this my report, the last of my official acts, with a full and perfect assurance of the continued and increasing prosperity of your association, so endeared to me by my connection with it from its commencement, and in the hope that the same unanimity which has prevailed in your councils during the past two years will continue for the future.

With my sincere thanks to you for your attention upon this occasion, I now resign my position into the keeping of my worthy successor, and relinquish to him the execution of those duties which, as president of your association, have occupied my attention.

DAVID S. TURNER.

Art. VII.-COALS FOR WESTERN NEW YORK.

FUEL is so essential to our every-day wants, so promotive of our comfort and happiness, as to exert an influence on all classes of men, extending to the humblest individual. It is alike an important element of individual and national wealth and of social and domestic enjoyment. The commercial prosperity and numerical strength of the State will always be immensely influenced by its price.

We, of Western New York, have now reached a period in our history when the employment of coals will be no other than a question of cheap

ness.

For greater economy in the transportation of coals from the mines to convenient places of deposit, railways, rudely constructed of wood, were first introduced in England about the year 1650. Iron rails were first used in 1776, at the coal mines of the Duke of Norfolk, at Sheffield.

The writer of this article has no personal interest in any of the coal mines, or either of the canals or railroads herein referred to. His only object is to direct public attention to the subject, yet with great deference to those who are better informed in all that relates to this important topic. If he shall communicate any interesting or useful information, or shall be the means of eliciting it from others, his object will be fully attained.

The sources whence supplies of coals are to be drawn, and the canals or railroads, by means of which they are to be transported, are subjects which may well engage our attention.

The Junction Canal being completed, and the North Branch Canal nearly so, an uninterrupted water communication will be open, within the present season, probably about the 1st of October, between Western New York and the great coal fields of Pennsylvania, on the North Branch of the Susquehanna River in the Wyoming Valley.

The route of this communication is through the Seneca Lake and Chemung Canal to Elmira, thence by the Junction Canal, eighteen miles, to Athens, and thence by the North Branch Canal of Pennsylvania, ninetyfour miles, to the coal fields near Wilksbarre; thus connecting the system of internal improvements of Pennsylvania with the New York and Erie Railroad and all the canals of the State of New York.

The opening of this line of communication will constitute an era in the history of Western New York second only in importance to the opening of the Erie Canal.

The geological survey which was made a few years ago at the expense of the State, has entirely settled the question, if it had not previously been determined, that no workable beds of coal will be found in Western New York, or within the limits of the entire State.

Before the geological survey had been made, it was known that in the coal fields of Pennsylvania nearest to our southern border, the coal runs out as the streams decline in the north, and that it would require a total height of mountain above tide-water exceeding five thousand feet at the State line to contain the coal measures; whereas the greatest altitude there is only about fifteen hundred feet. In addition to these facts there are others, resulting from the marked change of geological strata which commences at the extreme northern limits of the coal fields of Pennsylvania. In the wise and benign provision which Providence has made for man