ble to be imposed upon, shuts his heart to all the better feelings of our nature, and frequently confounds the meritorious and deserving with the hardened criminal. Accompanying this message is a list of my pardons, with the reasons that influenced my action in each particular case.

For a detailed statement of the condition of the Prison, I commend you to the annual reports of its officers.

In 1857 the Legislature passed a law anthorizing the Agent of the Prison to make a deduction from the time of sentence of the convict, of one day per month for the first year, two days per month for the second year, and four days per month for the balance of his term; so long as he should observe all the rules of the Prison. This statute has had a salutary effect upon the conduct of the prisoners. It incites them to good behavior. Each feels that the duration of his punishment depends, in a measure, upon his own good conduct. I believe that kindness towards the unfortunate convict, will have its effect in softening and subduing his rugged nature. It appears from the reports of the Agent for the last two years, that a large majority of the convicts received within that period of time, are below the age of thirty. These are young men, and more than ninetenths of them are now confined in Prison for the first offence. We have a law that authorizes the Agent, upon the discharge of a convict, to pay him a sum of money not exceeding ten dollars. The reports of the Agent of the Prison for the past two years, show that during that period of time three hundred and fifteen convicts have been discharged from the prison, and that the sum of only twelve hundred and fifty-two dollars was, by virtue of this law, distributed among the whole of them. This is a trifle below four dollars a piece, a sum barely sufficient to take them to their respective homes, if, indeed, they are fortunate enough to have a home. I believe it would be better for the discipline of the Prison, and have a benign influence upon the convicts, to pay them a larger sum of money upon being discharged. Many of them come out of the Prison friendless. Their spirits are broken. They are too apt to think that the

world is cold and unforgiving, and that the finger of scorn is constantly pointed at them. The pittance which the State gives them is barely sufficient to take them back to their old haunts and associates, but not enough to keep them from destitution until they can seek honest employment elsewhere. I would pay a larger sum of money to the convict, who, by his good conduct while in Prison, entitles himself to the benefits of the law. of 1855. I would increase the sum to be paid, to at least ten dollars per year, giving the Agent a discretionary power to graduate the amount paid, in proportion to the labor performed by the prisoner, and his good conduct while in Prison; but in no case to exceed the sum of thirty dollars. Such a law, in my opinion, would be more in keeping with the spirit of the age, and would have a tendency to prevent the young offenders from relapsing into crime.

EDUCATION.

The report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction shows the educational interests of the State to be in a flourishing condition. There have been taught in our Primary Schools, during the past year, two hundred and six thousand and fourteen children; and seven thousand nine hundred and forty-one teachers have been employed for that purpose, at an expense of four hundred and sixty-seven thousand two hundred and eighty-six dollars, in the aggregate. That clause in our Constitution which declares that it shall be the duty of the Legislature "to provide for and establish a system of primary schools, whereby a school shall be kept, without charge for tuition, at least three months in each year," has been fully carried into effect, and we are now realizing the benefits of that clause in the organic law. You should foster and encourage the primary school system. Upon its perpetuity and success depend the stability of our free institutions. No other system of education can be as effectual in diffusing knowledge among the masses as this, and so long as the common people are virtuous and intelligent, so long will our liberties be safe.

You are respectfully referred to the very able Reports of the Superintendent of Public Instruction for the years 1859 and 1860, for the details of our common school system, and for such amendments as are necessary to be made in our Statutes, in order to make all parts of the system harmonize.

FEMALE COLLEGE.

In my inaugural message of 1859, I called the attention of the Legislature to the great injustice of excluding our daughters from the State University, at Ann Arbor, and asked that some provision might be made for their education in all the higher branches of learning. I again renew the subject. In 1826 Congress granted to the Territory of Michigan seventy-two sections of land, for the use and support of "an University, and for no other use and purpose whatsoever." The Legislature, in 1837, organized the "University of Michigan," and by the act of organization specially declare that "it shall be open to all persons residents of this State, who may wish to avail themselves of its advantages." The act of organization contemplated the forma tion of branches in different parts of the State, and declared that, "in connection with every such branch of the University there shall be established an institution for the education of Females in the higher branches of knowledge." It is manifest from this act, that the Legislature comtemplated and intended that both sexes should have equal advantages under the law, and that the rich donation made by Congress was for the mutual benefit "of all persons resident of this State, who might wish to avail themselves of it." The lands thus granted have nearly all been sold, and a trust fund has been thereby created, amounting to one hundred and sixty-two thousand five hundred and fifty-eight dollars and twenty-seven cents, upon which the State pays to the University a rate of interest of seven per cent. per annum.

Thus far the Females of our State have been denied a joint participation in this fund, and have been excluded from the University, since its first organization. The State should make this right. Not one dollar of money has she, thus far, expended

in teaching her daughters the higher branches of learning. We boast of our common school system, as the early nurseries of the future statesman, and the very foundation on which our free institutions must ever rest. Yet we could not carry on this system one day without the aid of these Females, who are excluded from the University. The Annual Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, for the year 1860, shows that out of the seven thousand nine hundred and forty-one qualified teachers, in our primary schools, five thousand three hundred and forty-two are females. These female teachers mould the minds of our children, and stamp upon their youthful intellects impressions as lasting as life.

The influence which they exert upon the rising generation is far greater than that of the male teachers, and in the same proportion as they are educated will this influence be beneficial and yet the State moves along apparently indifferent, and without making the slightest effort towards educating our daughters in "the higher branches of learning." For twenty years the University fund, which is the joint property of both sexes, has been exclusively devoted towards educating our sons. Every consideration of State policy demands-justice demands-that you should make provision for the building of a "Female College," that our daughters may have the advantages now enjoyed by our sons at the University. I ask you to make an appropriation of thirty thousand dollars for this purpose. This will be just four cents apiece to the inhabitants of our Statea cheap way of meting out long delayed justice. I would locate it somewhere in the rural districts, and if possible in the vicinity of some beautiful lake, but its particular locality should be left open to competition. No Female College should be built for less than fifty thousand dollars, and I would require the successful locality to pay at least twenty thousand dollars towards the building of it. There are a great many localities in our State where the citizens would cheerfully contribute twenty thousand dollars towards securing such an institution in their midst.

AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.

The Constitution of the State provides that "the Legislature shall encourage the promotion of intellectual, scientific and agricultural improvement, and shall, as soon as practicable, provide for the establishment of an Agricultural school." Such a school has been established, and been in operation for nearly four years, under the control and management of the Board of Education.

The law organizing the College required the purchase of a farm and site within ten miles of Lansing, at an expense of not exceeding fifteen dollars per acre. This was an unfortunate restriction upon the action of those upon whom devolved the duty of selecting the farm and site, as they were necessarily compelled to purchase wild, uncultivated land, the improvement of which has really cost the State more than an improved farm of like quantity and quality, would in the first instance. We ought not to expect much good from scientific and experimental culti vation, until the farm shall have been thoroughly subdued. Time alone can accomplish this. The mere chopping down and clearing off a heavy growth of timber, are only the first steps towards subduing land. Great improvements have, however, been made upon the farm within the past two years, in removing unsightly objects, and giving it a more farmer like and tidy appearance. There are other improvements necessary to be made. More land should be cleared; the old bridge across Cedar River, connecting the different parts of the farm, and necessary to its use, should be rebuilt, and a barn should be built.

The Legislature of 1859 made an appropriation of the sum of thirty-seven thousand five hundred dollars, "for the purpose of paying the liabilities of said institution; for the erection of a farm barn and shed; for the repair of buildings; the payment of salaries of professors and teachers, and the payment of other necessary expenses to be incurred in the successful operation of said school during the years eighteen hundred and fifty-nine and eighteen hundred and sixty." There was paid out of this ap