events, the act was afterwards sanctioned by the payments made to the Professors for their services.

At a special meeting, held April 2d, 1855, Henry W. Lathrop was elected Treasurer of the University, in conformity with an act of the General Assembly, approved January 25th, 1855, making it the duty of the Board to elect their own Treasurer. He was required to give bond in the penalty of $60,000. Previous to his election the duties of the office had been performed by the State Treasurer. At this meeting James Hall, of Albany, N. Y.-since so distinguished for his investigations and collections in geology and natural history

was elected Professor of geology and natural history, and Josiah D. Whitney Professor of. mineralogy, meteorology, and chemistry. Professor Hall's salary was fixed at $1,500, and Professor Whitney's at $1,000. On the following day Abel Beach was elected Professor of Languages for the present term, but at the expiration of the seventh week of the session he resigned in consequence of ill health, and was succeeded by William A. McGenley, for the unexpired term. There was an attendance of from 75 to 100 students during the term.

Another special meeting was held May 28th, 1855, at which Loran Andrews, of Ohio, was elected President; Henry S. Welton, Professor of languages; John Van Valkenberg, Principal of the Normal School; and E. M. Guffin, Principal of the Preparatory department. Professor Andrews declined the appointment, and upon the recommendation of Professor Hall, Amos Dean, of Albany, N. Y., was elected President, July 16th, 1855. He accepted the office, but never fully entered upon its duties. Messrs. Lathrop, Morseman and Connelly were appointed a committee to prepare rules for the government of the University. The total amount expended for salaries and all other objects from January 1st, 1855, to November 1st, 1855, was $1,999.08.

On the first day of September, 1855, the Board, after due consultation with President Dean, issued a circular in cata

*This and all subsequent circulars, catalogues, &c., 1855-60, referred to in this Address, were ordered to be published by the Board, from the library of Prof. PARVIN.

logue form. It is the first printed document of the kind to be found among the archives of the University, and will be an object of interest when the University celebrates its first centennial. It presents in detail a plan of organization by departments, nine in number, namely: I, Ancient Languages; II, Modern Languages; III, Intellectual Philosophy; 1V, Moral Philosophy; V, History; VI, Natural Philosophy; and IX, Chemistry, to which were added the Normal School and Preparatory department. A separate Professor was to be assigned to each department.

The first five departments constituted the philosophical course of study, and the last four the scientific. The third, fourth, fifth, sixth, eighth, and ninth departments, were to be taught exclusively by lecture, and examination. The student was allowed to select the departments he desired to attend, but was required to attend at least three, unless specially permitted to do otherwise. The departments were so arranged as to enable students to take the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy, or of Bachelor of Science, at the close of two years; that of Bachelor of Arts at the close of four years, and that of Doctor of Philosophy at the close of six years. The collegiate year was divided into two terms, of twenty weeks each, the first to commence on the third Wednesday in September, and the second, one week after the close of the first.

The Faculty was composed of Amos Dean, LL. D., Chancellor and Professor of history; Henry S. Welton, A. M., Professor of ancient languages; James Hall, A. M., Professor of natural history; Josiah D. Whitney, A. M., Professor of chemistry; Alexander Johnston, A. M., Professor of mathematics; John Van Valkenburg, Principal of the Normal school; and E. M. Guffin, A. M., Principal of the Preparatory department. Under this organization it appears that the University was again partially opened, in September, 1855, and continued in operation until June, 1856, under Professors Welton, Johnston, Van Valkenburg and Guffin, the Chancellor and other Professors being only nominally connected with it. The records of the Board are not conclusive

on the subject, but the subsequent payment of salaries, and a circular issued by Prof. Van Valkenburg, as Principal of the Normal School, under date of September 19th, 1855, fully corroborate this view. I have not been able to obtain any information, written or verbal, by which the number of students in attendance can be ascertained. The amount paid for salaries and incidental expenses from November 1st, 1855, to November 1st, 1856, was $4,929.04.

At the annual meeting, held January 7th, 1856, the Board adopted the plan of organization embraced in the circular of September 1st, 1855, and increased the salary of the Chancellor to $2,000. It is probable that the circular was issued by a committee, under authority from the Board, and that the action of this meeting was simply a ratification of the work of the committee. In compliance with an act of the General Assembly for the relocation of the seat of government, approved January 25th, 1855, the capitol of the State was located at Des Moines, in the county of Polk, in the spring of 1856. The law contained a provision, however, that the seat of government should remain at Iowa City until suitable buildings for the use of the General Assembly and state officers were provided at Des Moines. The next regular session, commencing Dec. 1st, 1856, was accordingly held at Iowa City.

On the 30th day of June, 1856, sundry changes were made in the Faculty. J. M. Stone, of Indiana, was elected Professor of natural philosophy; George R. Perkins, of New York, Professor of mathematics; Frederick Humphrey, Teacher of mathematics; Edward Bondeli, Teacher of moddern languages; and D. Franklin Wells, Principal of the Normal School. The curriculum adopted at the previous meeting was not changed. A resolution was adopted, in substance, that members of the Faculty should receive no compensation when not actually engaged in the peformance of their respective duties. A third circular similar in form and purport to the first, was published. It is without date, but evidently prepared at this meeting, as it includes the names of the newly elected Professors, and omits those of

their predecessors. The following extract from it embodies in a concise form the design and purposes of the Board:

"Besides the Preparatory and Normal departments the Trustees have arranged to open for students for the ensuing year the following departments in the University proper, viz: those of the ancient languages, of the modern languages, of the mathematics, and of natural philosophy. They have deemed it proper first to organize the departments, and then to open gradually and successively, for the admission of students, such, and so many only, as the exigencies of the time require. They have organized the University for the future, as well as the present, and in that organization have been more solicitous of bestowing upon it the elements of future growth than of present perfection. They have framed it for a higher institution of learning, and when the sciences and their applications come to be fairly required, they intend to be fully prepared to meet that requirement.

"But while framed to furnish the highest style of culture, it can also adapt itself to the lowest. By its rejection of college classes, and its adoption of independent departments, it is enabled to furnish to the student just what instruction he requires, without, at the same time, compelling him to receive much that he does not want. Ordinary colleges, by rendering classical attainments necessary to the entrance of the student, exclude many who design to fit themselves for the common pursuits of life, from their halls of learning. To this large class those departments of the University which require no previous classical attainment, offer a ready admission, and afford ample facilities for the instruction required."

The Faculty was constituted as follows: Amos Dean, LL. D., Chancellor and Professor of history; Henry S. Welton, A. M., Professor of ancient languages; James Hall, A. M., Professor of natural history; Josiah D. Whitney, A. M., Professor of chemistry; J. M. Stone, Professor of natural philosophy; George R. Perkins, LL. D., Professor of mathematics; Frederick Humphrey, A. M., Teacher of mathe matics; Edward Bondeli, Teacher of modern languages; D. Franklin Wells, Principal of the Normal School; and E. M.

Guffin, A. M., Principal of the Preparatory department. Under this organization the University was regularly opened on the third Wednesday in September, 1856.

By a joint resolution of the General Assembly, approved January 29th, 1857, William P. Davis, of Polk, E. C. Lyon, Hugh D. Downey and Samuel J. Kirkwood, of Johnson, and Elijah Sells, of Benton county, were elected trustees to succeed the second class, whose term of service had expired. This was the last election of trustees under the first state constitution, and the Board at this period consisted of Edward Connelly, Henry W. Lathrop, Moses J. Morseman, Lincoln Clark, and John W. Rankin, of the third class, to serve for two years; P. L. Lake, Lauren Dewey, Thomas Farmer, E. C. Bidwell and Amos Witter, of the first class, to serve for four years; and William P. Davis, Elijah Sells, E. C. Lyon, Hugh D. Downey and Samuel J. Kirkwood, of the second class, to serve for six years. During the whole of the foregoing period, and up to March 12th, 1858, the Superintendent of Public Instruction was ex-officio President, and the Governor of the state, from January 15th, 1849, to December 25th, 1858, ex-officio a member of the Board.

The Superintendents of Public Instruction were James Harlan, of Johnson county, de facto, from April, 1847, to April, 1848; Thomas H. Benton, Jr., of Dubuque county, from April, 1848, to April, 1854; James D. Eads, of Lee county, from April, 1854, to April, 1857; and Maturin L. Fisher, of Clayton county, from April, 1857, to December, 25th, 1858. The Governors of the state were Ansel Briggs, of Jackson county, from December, 1846, to December, 1850, Stephen Hempstead, of Dubuque county, from December, 1850, to December, 1854; James W. Grimes, of Des Moines county, from December, 1854, to January, 1858; and Ralph P. Lowe, of Lee county, from January, 1858, to January, 1860.

The semi-annual meeting was held July 6th, 1857. The Board, doubting their authority to elect a Secretary who was not a trustee, in their code of by-laws restricted the office to one of their own number. Under this rule Mr. Hart, whose