100 BURT, NATHANIEL C. 



CALIFORNIA. 



local, and of the early voyages of discovery to 

 this continent. "With ample resources and a 

 most commendable zeal he prosecuted this work 

 for more than forty years, and had accumulated 

 nearly all the publications extant in any lan- 

 guage relating to America, his collection be- 

 ing, in the opinion of those best qualified to 

 judge, by far the most complete in the world. 

 This magnificent library was freely placed at 

 the service of scholars, and in at least three in- 

 stances he sent to eminent historians across 

 the Atlantic books which, if they had been 

 lost, could not have been replaced. One of 

 these, Sir Arthur Helps, has in one of the 

 volumes of his " Spanish Conquest in Amer- 

 ica " made a graceful and glowing acknowledg- 

 ment of this unexampled courtesy. But Mr. 

 Brown was also liberal in his gifts to educa- 

 tional purposes. To Brown University he gave 

 during his life and by his will $160,000; to 

 the Redwood Library at Newport, $5,000 ; con- 

 siderable sums to the Providence Athenaeum ; 

 large sums during his life to the Insane Asy- 

 lum, and $5,000 at his death; and $25,000 to 

 the Rhode Island Hospital. 



BURT, NATHANIEL C., D. D., an eminent 

 Presbyterian clergyman, author and scholar, 

 born in 1825 ; died in Rome, Italy, March 4, 

 1874. We have no knowledge of Dr. Burt's 

 early life, but he graduated from Princeton 

 College in 1846, and from Princeton Theologi- 

 cal Seminary in 1849. He was ordained at 

 Springfield, Ohio, June 1, 1850, and, after a 

 pastorate of five years there, was called to the 

 Franklin Street Presbyterian Church in Balti- 

 more in 1855, and in 1860 to the Seventh Pres- 

 byterian Church in Cincinnati. The condition 

 of his health was such that he was compelled 



to spend a year or more abroad, and he ac- 

 cordingly visited Europe in the summer of 

 1866, and, after spending some months in the 

 south of Europe, in the winter of 1866-'67 made 

 the tour of Egypt, and in the spring and early 

 summer of 1867 went over every portion of 

 the Holy Land. He had carefully prepared 

 himself for this exploration by a critical study 

 of every thing extant on the geography and 

 history of Palestine ; but his investigations 

 added much to our knowledge of the localities 

 and sites of places mentioned in the Scriptures. 

 The results of this tour were given to the pub- 

 lic in 1868 and 1869 in his "The Far East; " 

 "Hours among the Gospels;" and his ablest 

 and most valuable work, " The Land and its 

 Story." Compelled by continued ill-health to 

 relinquish the pastorate in 1869, he was for a 

 short time President of the Ohio Female Col- 

 lege, a position for which his extensive and 

 varied culture eminently fitted him. Finding, 

 however, that he could only enjoy tolerable 

 health in the mild climate of Southern Europe, 

 he undertook the care of young ladies, who 

 desired to finish their education in Europe, and 

 enjoy a sight of its leading capitals. He spent 

 his winters with his family in Rome, Dresden, 

 or Nice, and made excursions with his pupils, 

 of whom he usually had ten or twelve under his 

 charge, to the principal cities of the Continent, 

 keeping up their instruction meantime. It was 

 on one of these excursions from Nice to Rome 

 that he was suddenly attacked with haemor- 

 rhage from the lungs, and died in a few min- 

 utes. In addition to his works already men- 

 tioned and some manuals for his pupils, Dr. 

 Burt had written much for the religious pe- 

 riodicals and reviews. 



C 



CALIFORNIA. Public affairs in this State 

 during the past year have been unusually 

 quiet. No general election was held, and there 

 was consequently no political campaign. The 

 Legislature, which assembled on the first day 

 of December, 1873, continued in session till 

 March 30, 1874. Much legislation was accom- 

 plished during this time, but it was chiefly of 

 local interest. In respect to the important 

 measures which consumed much time, the 

 session is perhaps more marked for what was 

 not accomplished than for the bills that be- 

 came laws. One of the most important sub- 

 jects considered by the Legislature had refer- 

 ence to the railroads of the State. Early in 

 the session the "Freeman bill," intended to 

 regulate the rates for passengers and freight 

 on those railroads, and to prevent unjust dis- 

 crimination, was introduced in the Assembly, 

 where it met with much favor, and was passed. 

 It was not passed by the Senate, however, and 

 failed, therefore, to become a law. A bill 

 having the same object in view as that of the 



" Freeman bill " was passed by the Senate 

 only a day or two before the final adjournment 

 of the Legislature ; but this also failed to be- 

 come a law. During the session acts of incor- 

 poration were passed for constructing railroads 

 from Colfax to Nevada City, Los Angeles to In- 

 dependence, Marysville to Knight's Landing, 

 and San Luis Obispo Bay to Santa Maria. In 

 each act of incorporation there are limitations 

 and regulations as to fares and freights. There 

 is also a prohibition as to freight or passenger 

 discriminations, and as to granting free passes. 

 The nature of this prohibition will be seen 

 from the following provision contained in the 

 act incorporating the Colfax & Nevada City 

 Railroad : 



No discrimination shall be made between persons, 

 parties, or localities, as to fares and freights, or the 

 transportation of goods ; and no free passes shall bo 

 issued or given to any person or party to travel the 

 road, except those who are actually engaged in the 

 business of the road : any violation of this section 

 shall be deemed a misdemeanor. 



Numerous amendments to the constitution 



