426 



KENSETT, JOHN F. 



KENTUCKY. 



on his noble estate of Ellerslie at Rhinebeck, 

 on the Hudson, was actively engaged in such 

 measures as would benefit and enlighten his 

 fello.w-men. He had served two terms in the 

 State Senate, and in 1860 was with great dif- 

 ficulty persuaded to be the nominee of his 

 party for Governor of the State. For several 

 years he was president of the State Agricul- 

 tural Society, and on his own estate practical- 

 ly demonstrated what was the best farming 

 of which New York lands were capable. But 

 it was in the cause of higher education that he 

 was most deeply interested. He was president 

 of the Board of Trustees of the Rochester Uni- 

 versity, of the Board of Vassar College, and 

 of the National Baptist Educational Commis- 

 sion, bore an honorable part in the successful 

 effort to establish a State Agricultural College 

 at Ovid, and was one of the original trustees 

 of Cornell University. In all these cases it 

 was not merely his name and influence which 

 he gave to these organizations; he also be- 

 stowed on them a liberal share of hard, earnest 

 work, and where money was needed he was 

 equally liberal with that. He was also an 

 active officer in the great benevolent societies 

 of his denomination, and presided over several 

 of them with great dignity and ability. He 

 had made the voyage to Europe for the benefit 

 of his health, which had been for some time 

 impaired, but became suddenly worse, and 

 died at Torquay. 



KENSETT, JOHN FKEDEKICE:, N. A., a dis- 

 tinguished landscape-painter, born in Cheshire, 

 Conn., March 22, 1818; died in New York 

 City, December 14, 1872. He began life as an 

 engraver, having been apprenticed to his uncle, 

 Alfred Daggett, an engraver of bank-note vi- 

 gnettes. Devoting his spare hours to experi- 

 menting in oil-colors, a desire to learn the art 

 of painting was awakened, and in 1840 he 

 went to England for that purpose. On his ar- 

 rival in London he became known to Durand, 

 Casilear, and Rossiter, and shared their stud- 

 ies. For five years he studied oil-painting, 

 supporting himself by engraving. At the end 

 of this time he exhibited a view of Windsor 

 Castle in the exhibition of the Society of Brit- 

 ish Artists, at the rooms in Suffolk Street, 

 Pall Mall East. It is the custom of this asso- 

 ciation to have a lottery at a guinea a head, 

 and the holders of the two lucky numbers are 

 allowed to choose a picture each as a prize. 

 The winner of the first prize on this occasion 

 selected Kensett's picture, which was admitted 

 by every one to be the best landscape-painting 

 in the collection. The next two years he 

 spent in Rome, whence he sent home a num- 

 ber of Italian views, which gave him a high 

 reputation. Among these, his " View on the 

 Arno " was exhibited in the National Academy 

 of Design, and on its merits he was made an 

 associate of that institution. In the following 

 year he was elected an Academician. In 1848 

 he returned to the United States, and fixed 

 his residence in New York City, devoting him- 



self assiduously to his art. Among his most 

 popular works are : " View of Mount Wash- 

 ington from North Conway," 1849; "Fran- 

 conia Mountains," 1835 ; " October Day in the 

 White Mountains," 1853; " Hudson River from 

 Fort Putnam," 1856 ; " Falls of the Bashbish ; 

 "Sunset on the Coast," 1858; "Lake 

 George ; " " Sunset in the Adirondacks ; " 

 "Noon on the Sea-shore; " "Housatonic Val- 

 ley;" "Coast Scenery;" "Niagara;" and 

 " Narragansett Bay." In 1859 he was ap- 

 pointed a member of the National Art Corn- 

 mission, having the direction of the ornamen- 

 tation of the Capitol at Washington, and the 

 superintendence of the works 'deposited there. 

 Mr. Kensett was unquestionably one of the 

 most conscientious landscape-painters of mod- 

 ern times ; an indefatigible worker, and thor- 

 oughly devoted to his art. His works were 

 highly esteemed in France, Belgium, and Eng- 

 land, as well as in this country. 



KENTUCKY. The financial condition of the 

 State of Kentucky appears to be sound and 

 satisfactory, except that the revenue laws are 

 so far defective that the expenditures of the 

 government regularly exceed the receipts. 

 The debt at the beginning of the last fiscal 

 year, October 11, 1871, amounted to $1,069,- 

 594, exclusive of the school debt, which js a 

 permanent loan, and amounts to $1,625,068.60. 

 During the year bonds were redeemed to the 

 amount of $303,000. A new issue of $200,000 

 was, however, made, under an act of January 

 last, to cover the deficit in the Treasury. The 

 bonds outstanding at the end of the fiscal year, 

 October 10th, were as follows : 



6 per cent, bonds past due $85,394 CO 



5 per cent, bonds past due 5,000 00 



6 per cent, bonds falling due between the 10th 

 October, 1872, and the 1st of January, 1873. 37,000 00 



6 per cent, bonds maturing in 1873 246,000 60 



5 per cent, bonds maturing in 1873 66,000 00 



6 per cent, bonds maturing in 1874 129.000 00 



6 per cent, bonds maturing in 1875 20,000 00 



6 per cent, bonds maturing in 1876 2,000 00 



6 per cent, bonds maturing in 1894 111,000 00 



6percent. bonds maturing in 1895 60,OCO 00 



6 per cent, bonds maturing in 1896 5,000 00 



8 per cent, bonds maturing in 1873 or 1877 200,000 OC 



Total $966,39400 



The means at the command of the Commis- 

 sioners of the Sinking Fund for the redemption 

 of the indebtedness are as follows : 

 Balance in Treasury on the 10th of October, 



1872 $544.623 80 



Loan to Farmers' Bank, at 5 per cent 200.368 



Loan to Bank of Kentucky, at 5 per cent. . . 400,000 00 

 Balance of proceeds of sale of Kentucky 



Bank stock, at 6 percent 547.000 



Amount in Treasury not transferred 12,028 3: 



Balance due on loan to Kentucky River Nav- 

 igation Company 4,000 



406 shares of stock in Bank of Louisville. . . 

 260 shares of preferred stock in Louisville* 

 Cincinnati & Lexington Railroad Com- 

 pany 



2,178 shares of stock in Lexington & Frank- 

 fort Railroad Company 108,900 00 



Bonds of Louisville & Frankfort Railroad 



Company 



Stock in turnpike-roads 



Amount borrowed by Revenue Department 

 under sundry acts of the Legislature 



207.919 13 



Total resources $2,420,39272 



