Letter from State Geologist Eugene W. Hilgard to Mississippi Governor William L. Sharkey; August 2, 1865

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Letter from State Geologist Eugene W. Hilgard to Mississippi Governor William L. Sharkey; August 2, 1865

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People

Barksdale, E. (Ethelbert), 1824-1893 Clark, Charles, 1811-1877 Hilgard, Eugene W. (Eugene Woldemar), 1833-1916 McRae. John J., 1815-1868 Pettus, John Jones, 1813-1867 Sharkey, William Lewis, 1798-1873

Events

Finances Finances--Debt relief Military Events--Blockade

Organizations

Mississippi--Geological Survey Mississippi--Legislature Universities and colleges Universities and colleges--Mississippi. University of Mississippi

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Laboratories

Occupations

Booksellers and Bookselling College Teachers Education Professionals State Geologist--Mississippi

Places

Mississippi--Hinds County. Jackson Mississippi--Lafayette County. Oxford Missouri--Independent City. Saint Louis

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[seal]

Oxford, Miss., Aug. 2, 1865

Gov. W^m Sharkey

Dear Sir,

Having held since 1858 the office of State Geologist of Mississippi; and uncertain under the present ano-malous circumstances what course to pursue, I must apply to you for instructions. I would have done so much sooner, but for the fact that I knew you to be engaged in so many pressing public duties, that I was unwilling to bring forward an interest which for the moment seemed of inferior importance. Circumstances however now compel me to come to a decision. The case stands simply thus:

In Feb. 1860, an act was passed by the legislature, appropriating $4500 pr. ann. for the purposes of the Geol. & Agr. Survey. This was to defray the salary of a chief ($2000) and an assistant ($1500), the rest being for expenses in the field and laboratory. At the same time, the sum of $3500 was appropriated for the printing of my Report, with the proviso, that the work should be done at the South, if it could be done at an advance of 10 pr. A. on northern rates. The latter was found to be impossible; but Gov. Pettus refused to let the job go north under any circumstances, and finally, Mr. E. Barksdale consented to take the print-ing contract, relying on a bill of relief for his extra expenditures.

The printing was done at Jackson in 1860; but for the binding, it was necessary to go as far north as St. Louis. Out of the 5000 copies, 1000 had been bound and were on the point of shipment, when the blockade be-

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gan. I have lately rec'd a letter from the binder, informing me that he has altogether bound 2000 vols, and that the remainder are folded. He also offers to execute the work at the rates in greenbacks corresponding to the specie price at which he contracted, viz. 27 instead of 18 cts, if I understand him right. I state this to you, inasmuch as, I presume, Mr. Barksdale will be unable to do anything in the premises for a time. The appropriation was, I believe, advanced to him upon his bond.

I August 1861, at an extra session of the legislature, a bill was passed suspending the operation of the previous ^act^, "during the war, and for 12 months thereafter;" appropriating at the same time, $1250 pr. ann. "as salary to the State Geologist, and for the preservation of the collections of the Survey, and to carry on the chemical analyses."

Under this law I have acted up to the present time, save in so far that I have been unable to draw any salary whatsoever this year. I have, not without considerable difficulty, preserved the col-lections of the Survey almost intact; and up to last winter, contin-ued the chemical work as far as the means at my disposal, and the constant incursions of the contending armies, would permit. I should add that last year, several months were exclusively occupied by me, under instructions from Gov. Clark, in cleaning and repairing the philosophical and chemical apparatus of the University, which has been under my charge for 15 months past. This and other office work of the Survey, has occupied me since the failure of chemi-cal materials and of funds to supply the same, has rendered chemi-

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cal work improb^actic^able. Of these things however, I shall make a more detailed report to you whenever you desire. For the present, it be-comes necessary for me to inquire of you what is my status—under what law am I to consider myself as acting, or how you consider my position. It is impossible for me to continue as I am any longer. The appropriation paid me during the past 4 years, ~~has~~ in Confederate funds, has fallen far short, as you may suppose, of paying even my expenses; and during this year, I have exclusively lived and worked out of my pocket.

Of course I feel unwilling lightly to abandon half finished, a work, on which I have bestowed so much time, labor and interest. My Report is as yet unpublished; the work done since it was written is, in a great degree, in the condition of "unfinished business;" and the personal and local experience required for its successful prosecution, which it has cost me years to acquire, can be but very imperfectly transferred to another. I had thought that perhaps the work might, during the interregnum, be sustained and carried forward to some extent, in connection with the chemical chair of the University; but since the Board seem to have judged otherwise, I have no choice but to retire, leaving things as they are, unless you should think proper to revive one or the other of the legislative acts in relation to the same.

As a necessary foundation of a rational system of agriculture, and of a truly useful agricultural school especially, the utility or rather, the necessity of the completion of the Survey does not seem

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to admit of any doubt. Whether under this point of view, its revival should not accompany that of the University, especially under the new order of things in regard to agricultural labor, is the question I wish to present to your judgment. This as to the future—with reference to the past, it is of considerable importance to me to know how far my claim to compensation during the current year is considered valid by you; inasmuch as, unless it is good, in part at least, I am obliged to take immediate steps towards a "change of base."

Want of funds rendering it impossible for me to obtain your views on the subject through a personal interview, I avail myself of the courtesy of Gov. M^cRae in sending this letter; and in hopes of an early re-ply, however brief, I remain

Your obed't svt,

Eug. W. Hilgard

Professor Hilgard

Answered