44 



report of their secretary upon the agricultural schools of Europe, 

 which he had visited in the summer of 1863.* 



At a meeting on the 4th of May, 1864, Hon. Henry F. French, 

 then of Cambridge, became a member of the board of trustees, was 

 at once elected vice-president, and soon after appointed by the gov- 

 ernor and council, -agent of the state to sell the land scrip, which no 

 state could locate in another state or territory. Mr. French came to 

 the board with the reputation of one largely interested in farming 

 pursuits, who had published a book on lt Drainage," been a prolific 

 contributor to agricultural journals and to the agricultural report at 

 Washington, was a vice-president of the United States Agricultural 

 Society, and had recently become widely known in Massachusetts by 

 his- familiar and enthusiastic lectures for two years before the Legis- 

 lative Agricultural Society, on drainage, plows and plowing, and the 

 husbandry of England, which he had recently visited. Mr. French 

 entered upon his duties as agent with vigor, but his work was an em- 

 barrassing one. So much land scrip was thrown upon the market at 

 once by the different states, that its market value was greatly de- 

 creased, so that he was able to realize fifty cents an acre only, whilst 

 it is said that Mr. Cornell, a rich capitalist, generously took the New 

 York scrip and reserved it for the benefit of the college, whilst he 

 could realize at his leisure. f Mr. French was criticised in some 

 quarters for his acts in this regard, but I know he was much troub- 

 led, took the best advice, and did the best he could do. 



On the 2nd of November, 1864, he was elected president of the 

 college, by a vote of eight out of twelve. There was in fact, at the 

 time, no other candidate before the board, who was desirous of an 

 election, but the vote indicated doubts of the propriety or expediencv 

 of his election, as there were two blank votes, and one for Hon. Geo. 

 B. Loring, and one for Chas. L. Flint, neither of whom desired the 

 position. 



On the 1st of February, 1865, President French, Hon. Joseph 

 White, then secretary of the Board of Education, and ex-officio 

 trustee of the college, and Mr. Henry L. Whiting, who was a pro- 

 fessional engineer of the Coast Survey, and now engaged in a topo- 

 graphical survey of the state, were appointed a committee to consid- 



*See Massachusetts Agricultural Report for year 18(!3. 



t New York was entitled to about a million of acres under the law, for which more 

 than $5,000,000 has been received, and much more wjould have been realized, had Mr. Cor- 

 nell been able to carry out his own projects. 



