522 



MISSISSIPPI. 



journal, The Civilizer, and The Country (Le 

 Pays). Separating (after a quarrel) from Mil- 

 laud, Mires embarked in the most gigantic 

 speculations. He obtained the direction or 

 control of the largest collieries in the empire, 

 of the Society of the Gates, of Marseilles, and 

 of some of the largest industrial enterprises of 

 that city, and rebuilt nearly one-third of it. 

 He now rolled in wealth ; was summoned by 

 the Pope to undertake a loan for the Papal 

 Government, was appealed to for help by the 

 Sultan, was decorated with the red ribbon 

 of the Legion of Honor; floated buoyant on 

 the torrent of French popularity and glory, 

 married his daughter to the Prince de Poli- 

 gnac, wrote books, paid artists, was the pa- 

 tron of authors, poets, and detectives, bought 

 splendid domains, scattered money with a 

 lavish hand, and gathered around him a corps 

 of literary friends and abettors. But this 

 pomp and glory was not to last. He had, in 

 some way, incurred the displeasure of Napo- 

 leon III., and, though he was in possession of 

 some dangerous secrets in regard to the cor- 

 ruption and frauds of the Government, he was 

 arrested in February, 1861, thrown into prison 

 at Mazas, for several months, kept in secret 

 confinement, and finally, on the llth of July, 

 1861, tried by the Correctional Tribunal of 

 Paris, and sentenced to five years' imprison- 

 ment, and 3,000 francs fine. The man may 

 have been and probably was corrupt, though 

 hardly more so than his accusers; but his 

 fearlessness and energy in conducting his de- 

 fence, and with the Emperor and all his Cabinet 

 against him, compelling the appeal to higher 

 courts, and securing a reversal of judgment, 

 gained him sympathy. On the reversal of one 

 judgment, the Government caused his arrest 

 on another indictment, but he defied them, 

 and at last, after nearly three years of trials 

 and imprisonment, he was set free. He im- 

 mediately entered upon other speculations, 

 and commenced a warfare upon the Govern- 

 ment and its speculating favorites, which he 

 did not cease till both it and they were ruined. 

 He also commenced actions for damages against 

 the judges who had condemned him, and the 

 witnesses who had testified against him ; and, 

 having seen all his enemies overthrown, at last 

 died himself of sheer exhaustion from his ten 

 years' contest with his persecutors. 



MISSISSIPPI. The material condition of 

 the State of Mississippi has improved but 

 slowly during the past year. Financially, its 

 status is unsatisfactory, owing rather to bad 

 management than to any heavy burden of debt 

 or taxation. The indebtedness is wholly of a 

 floating character, and by no means great in 

 amount. On the 1st of December there were 

 oustanding warrants amounting to $648,723.19, 

 and certificates of indebtedness to the amount 

 of $397,000, making a total of $1,045,723.19. 

 In this statement are included the deposits made 

 by insurance companies, amounting to $557,- 

 736.42. This floating indebtedness had in- 



creased $487,986.77 since the beginning of the 

 year. These warrants are of the nature of 

 checks or sight drafts issued by the Auditor in 

 the payment of claims upon the Treasury. 

 They presuppose the existence of funds for 

 their redemption on presentation, but, accord- 

 ing to the statement of the Governor, the 

 present Treasurer has never during his term 

 of office had money enough at command to 

 pay his own salary I Tax-collectors are au- 

 thorized to receive the warrants in payment 

 of State taxes, but are under no obligation to 

 make change, and if the exact amount of the 

 dues is not tendered the warrants may be 

 refused. The result is, that these checks are 

 continually at a discount, and their value dur- 

 ing the past year has fluctuated from 65 to 85 

 cents on the dollar. The same unsubstantial 

 system of issuing certificates of indebtedness, 

 and paying and receiving them in lieu of money, 

 is in vogue in the counties, and the supervisors 

 have issued this unsatisfactory kind of cur- 

 rency until, in many cases, it has depreciated 

 in value to twenty-five cents on the dollar, 

 which practically quadruples the pressure upon 

 the people for the payment of public dues. 

 The Governor, in his message to the Legisla- 

 ture of 1872, strongly recommended the adop- 

 tion of measures whereby all outstanding evi- 

 dence of indebtedness should be funded in 

 bonds running from one to eight years, and 

 bearing six per cent, interest, payable semi- 

 annually, and that henceforth only legal United 

 States currency be used in the actual financial 

 transactions of the State and counties. 



The system of public schools of the State is 

 hardly established on a firm basis as yet, but 

 there are evidences of improvement. Much 

 dissatisfaction has been felt with the present ' 

 mode of organization and management, and 

 the question of making a change was debated 

 in the last Legislature, though no change was 

 actually made. At present there are five di- 

 rectors appointed in each county by the county 

 superintendent, to employ teachers and look 

 after the general interests of the schools. The 

 Governor recommends the election, in each 

 district, of three directors from the immediate 

 patrons of the schools, to provide buildings, 

 and supplies, and employ teachers, and that 

 one of them at least be required to visit the 

 school in hjs district once in two weeks 

 during the session. The number of schools at 

 present in operation in the State is 3,000, em- 

 ploying 3,300 teachers, and having, during the 

 past year, an aggregate attendance of 90,000 

 pupils. The university at Oxford is repre- 

 sented to be in a flourishing condition. During 

 the session of 1871-'72, nearly 200 students 

 were matriculated. The institution is endowed, 

 but each year requires more or less assistance 

 from the State. No tuition-fees are now ex- 

 acted, and one free scholarship for each repre- 

 sentative district has been established. It is 

 proposed to add an agricultural department, 

 with an experimental farm, to the present ap- 



