8th. To the Minister of Finances, a complete collection of the documents.

The four copies left will be disposed of in the following manner. 9th. To the Minister of Public Instruction, one copy.

10th. To the Minister of the Interior, one copy.

11th. To the city of Paris, one copy.

And the copy you were kind enough to give me I shall be obliged to dispose of

12th. Academy of Moral and Political sciences.

This distribution is made to the best of my humble knowledge, for the greater advantage of the state, and consolidation of the enlightened and brotherly intercourse I am endeavoring to establish between the civilized nations of our two hemispheres.

Allow me, sir, to state that the labors of your legislature have been highly appreciated here, and that nothing could have been better calculated to give an exalted idea of the high civilization of Michigan, than those documents. In fact, several of the reports have been found so satisfactory, in literary and scientific point of view, that several of them are already in the hands of translators, and will shortly be published. Such as those relative to the abolishment of capital punishment, by Messrs. William A. Pratt and H. Stone. Those by Messrs. W. Norman, McLeod and A. C. Smith, relative to international literary exchange, attracted the special attention of Count Salvandy, minister of public instruction, who ordered them to be translated for their official journal of public instruction.

I trust, sir, that the state of Michigan will have no reasons to regret the noble and generous sacrifice made by the legislature in behalf of my system. And that the objects I will transmit in exchange, shall not be unworthy of their acceptance, and I beg of you to be assured that every thing will be done in accordance to the old brotherly feelings of my countrymen for America, the intellectual riches of France, and the great admiration of your legislative labors have excited here.

I hope, with the will of the Lord, to present to the legislature, with my own hands, the tokens I am collecting, of my conntry's sympathy for the people of Michigan.-For I am on the point of

HOUSE.

No. 17

landing, once more on your hospitable shores. Yes, sir, my love for your country, and my devotion to the cause I am advocating, are such, that disregarding the almost absolute necessity of my presence in Paris, and the painful separation of my beloved family, I have determined to pay another visit to beautiful America, for the purpose of establishing on a larger and more lasting basis, our intellectual union. For were Divine Providence be pleased to call me away, before measures should be universally adopted for its full realization, all the advantages to be derived from it, all the hopes its birth created, all, all! would follow me to the grave. Devoted, therefore, to a cause, which has been called the cause of humanity, i am ready to take up with renewed vigor the pilgrim's staff, which I have borne for twenty years, and in fulfilling a task I firmly believe, imposed upon me by Divine Providence.

I am happy to say that this new sacrifice I am making for public good, is so well appreciated here, that all the scientific bodies, together with the ministers of agriculture, commerce, public instruction and others, are willing, not only to put at my disposal all the scientific riches they can dispose of, but to help me in defraying my travelling expenses. I therefore hope to have soon the happiness of shaking hands once more with my beloved American brothers, and of being the bearer of my countrymen's good wishes for the happiness and glory of the United States.

Meanwhile, I respectfully beg of you, sir, to express to the legislature, the sentiments of the profound gratitude, respect and sincere devotion of one who can boast himself as being, though the humblest, yet the most faithful friend of the United States of America. I have the honor to be, sir,

No. 18.

1847.

Affidavits and Report of the Inspectors of the State Prison at Jackson.

Ira C. Backus, Lewis Bascom and Michael Shoemaker, Inspectors of the State Prison at Jackson, Michigan, being duly sworn, depose and say: That in examining the "Report of the Joint Committee on State Prison," published as Joint Document No. 14, Legislature 1847-on page 8 they find as follows: "State of Michigan, County of Wayne, ss: Alonzo Ferris being duly sworn deposes and says, that some time in the month of April last past, this deponent endeavored to have Benjamin H. Curtis appointed Deputy Keeper of the State Prison in place of Marvin Dorrill; this deponent believed and still believes that the said Curtis is a better man for the office of Deputy Keeper, this deponent solicited the members of the board of Inspectors of the State Prison to co-operate with him the deponent in bringing about the desired change, but that two of the members of the board refused to give their approbation, and the desired change could not be accomplished." Now we the above named Inspectors do depose and say, that never did Mr. A Ferris at any time" endeavor to have Benjamin H. Curtis appointed Deputy keeper of the State Prison in place of Marvin Dorril;" that Mr. A. Ferris has never stated to them or to either of them, "that he believed and still believes that the said Curtis is a better man for the office of Deputy Keeper;" that Mr. A. Ferris never solicited them or either of them "to co-operate with him, the deponent in bringing about the desired change;" and that they have not, either individually, collectively, or any two of them, "refused to give their approbation," so that "the desired change could not be accomplished;" and they would further depose and say, that the Agent, Mr. A. Ferris, has never made a nomination either of De

puty or Assistant Keeper, that has been rejected by them; and that Mr. A. Ferris has uniformly and at several different times, acknowledged himself perfectly satisfied with the services of Marvin Dorrill as Deputy Keeper.

IRA C. BACKUS,

LEWIS BASCOM,

MICHAEL SHOEMAKER.

Sworn and subscribed before me this 2d day of March, A. D. 1847. ASHER B. BATES,

Justice of the Peace of Jackson county, Mich.

Walter Budington being duly sworn deposes and says: That he was Clerk of the State Prison at Jackson when Mr. Alonzo Ferris took charge of said prison as agent in April last, and that he has continued as said clerk from the time aforesaid to the present; and this deponent further says that he has not at any time heard said Ferris express any desire to have Benjamin H. Curtiss appointed deputy keeper of said prison; neither has the said Ferris in the presence or hearing of this deponent ever nominated said Curtiss to the board of inspectors for said office of deputy keeper; neither has the said Ferris, in the presence or hearing of this deponent, ever expressed a desire to have some other person appointed deputy keeper in the place of Marvin Dorrill, the present incumbent of that office; neither has the said Ferris as aforesaid, ever expressed himselfin any manner dissatisfied with the manner in which the said Dorrill has discharged the duties of deputy keeper, but on the contrary, the deponent has heard the said Ferris express himself decidedly in favor of said Dorrill as such deputy keeper.

WALTER BUDINGTON. Sworn and subscribed before me this third day of March, A. D. 1847. ASHER B. BATES, Justice of the Peace.

To the Hon. the Legislature of the State of Michigan :

The undersigned, inspectors of the State Prison at Jackson, in presenting this report and the accompanying affidavits, would state that they had no knowledge that Mr. Alonzo Ferris, the Agent of said prison, had given any such testimony as that published on page 8 of the report of the joint committee, until they read it on the 2d

instant in that report, and that they were not before reading said testimony aware that Mr. Ferris had given any testimony before the Hon. committee when he was in Detroit. As one of the members of the board of inspectors was in Detroit when this testimony was taken, we must express our surprise and regret that the Hon. committee should consent to receive testimony so materially affecting our motives in the discharge of our duty, without notifying him that Mr. Ferris was agoing to make, or had made such an affidavit, the more especially as they have based the most material portion of their report upon this testimony.

We cannot refrain from expressing our opinion that great injustice has been done us by the Hon. committee in their manner of proceeding in the taking, and in their report upon this testimony of Mr. Alonzo Ferris.

We cannot in justice to ourselves submit this report without noticing other portions of the report of your Hon. committee. On page 9 they state that "the evidence the said inspectors had before them at the time of the adoption of their report going to sustain the charge above specified, was a proposition made by Pinney to the agent of the prison previous to the advertisement being given, and the answer on the back of said proposition, made by the agent to the said Pinney." Now we would state that this is not true; there was no such proposition before the inspectors "at the time of the adoption of their report." We would invite a careful examination of our evidence as given before the Hon. committee, and that will show the evidence we had before us at the time we made our report; we would also ask that the evidence of H. B. Lathrop, Asher B. Bates and A. H. Pinney should be carefully examined upon this point, as your Hon. committee appear by their report to have founded their conclusions that they are constrained to believe that this charge made by the inspectors against the agent of the state prison is wholly without foundation in truth, solely upon the testimony of the agent, Mr. A. Ferris.

We cannot resist the conclusion that the honorable Legislature and the world will arrive at a different conclusion from the honorable committee, after an examination of the facts, as set forth in the evidence referred to. On page 11 of their report, the honorable