government, of the various industries carried on within its borders, all fully illustrated. Very properly the fittest man for sketching the Jews of the State was Dr. B. A. Elzas, who has made that field of history practically his own. The regular daily of April 20, 1904, contained a great deal of this material also.

NOTES AND NEWS.

CORRESPONDENCE OF A. D. MURPHEY.-Few men in the history of North Carolina have been of greater value to the Commonwealth than was Archibald DeBow Murphey (17771832). He was an educator and scholar, lawyer and judge, promoter of internal improvements and historian. It is probably within the realm of truth to say that he was the forerunner of the U. S. Geological Survey of to-day, for that Survey counts Murphy's Memoir of 1819 and the Reports of the N. C. Board of Internal Improvements, 18181827, as the beginning of geological work in America. There is no doubt that work of this kind in North Carolina is due primarily to the influence of Murphy.

Judge Murphey collected much material for a history of North Carolina. This material seems to have disappeared and with it his personal correspondence. It turns out that a part of the latter has been saved, is now in the hands of one of his descendants and in due time will be published. Mr. W. Henry Hoyt, of Brooklyn, N. Y., writes the editors in regard to this matter:

April 22nd, 1904.

"I am gratified to learn that one so intimately acquainted with North Carolina and her history has taken a special interest in the career of A. D. Murphey. Until a short time ago, my knowledge of him was confined to the little I had heard from my mother, whose father, Capt. Peter Umstead Murphey, of the United States and Confederate navies, was his son, *

"Public documents of North Carolina, the senate journals and various reports such as those on internal improvement, education, etc., that Judge Murphey had to do with and from which the extent of his public services might be gleaned, are hard to find in our N. Y. Public Libraries, and indeed, except Gov. Graham's sketch, no one has given us a picture of him from the personal side, and hence it is difficult, at this late day, to gather information concerning his private life, ideas and characteristics.

"Having never made a study of internal improvements in N. C., nor even being familiar with the present sentiment toward him in

that regard, I am not in a position to give an opinion, but from what I have read it appears to me that the system proposed by him was practicable and if carried to completion, would have proved of lasting benefit to the commercial growth of the state. Its widespread popularity, gradually weakened by a fear that too much money was being spent on it, and the hardness of the times, with which I am struck, and which I firmly believe was the one obstacle to this and every other project he undertook, are easily followed in the letters I have. The enthusiasm it aroused appears most general. 'Old Treasurer' Haywood, perhaps his most intimate friend, writes him in 1819: 'I fear to indulge, or rather to express my wishes and hopes in regard to bettering our outlet to the ocean, even to you, lest you should consider me an enthusiast or visionary.' If the whole scheme was an idle dream, it was nevertheless shared by the most notable figures of his day. To my mind A. D. Murphey was fifty years ahead of his times. It appears also, that President James Monroe visited Roanoke Island, and Judge Murphey conferred with him on the matter. * * *

"You have asked me to give you a resume of what I have in hand. This I would cheerfully do did I know just how to go about it, but I will try to do something. There are upwards of 200 letters, excluding miscellaneous legal papers. * Among the letters Í have are nine from Duncan Cameron, having much interest, seven of Treasurer John Haywood, written between 1818 and 1826, of value for their comments on internal improvements and affairs connected with the University, five of Peter Browne, a warm friend of internal improvement, and in aid of which he seems to have visited Europe, three of Charles Fisher, concerning his contemplated history. Among other correspondents I might mention Wm. J. Bingham, Nathaniel Boyden, Joseph Caldwell, John R. Donnell, S. Donoho, (The latter two are striking illustrations of the admiration felt for him by his former pupils). William Duffy, Hamilton Fulton, describing the progress of the work on the canals; Edward J. Hale, John Hall, Judge John Haywood, asking for material for his history of Tennessee, Archibald, John Lawson and Richard Henderson, Charles Manly, John M. Morehead, Frederick Nash, Richmond Pearson, Jas. G. McGregor Ramsey, concerning the J. M. Alexander certificate of the Mecklenburg declaration, then in the possession of Judge Murphey, together with the other Davie papers, Thomas Ruffin, John L. Taylor, etc. There are several long letters from Tennessee from his son, Victor Moreau, and a Capt. Herndon Haralson, describing that country in its early days, the letter inviting him to deliver the first address before the literary societies at the university, written by Thompson Byrd, in 1826, and two or three others connected with the subject. I have also some of William Duffy's correspondence and a great many legal papers, etc., that belonged to him and which I bought with the others. There are, of course, few of Judge Murphey's own letters among them. I believe there are eight, all illustrative of literary attainments and command of language.

"With respect to his contemplated history, I note that you think more has been made out of his work by later generations than was actually done. It is true that very little of what he gathered remains to-day, but there is reason to believe that he spent much time and

labor on it, and a great amount of material was collected and almost ready for publication were the means at his command, and so valuable that Charles Fisher writes him in 1827 that it would be advisable to ask the Legislature 'for a direct loan of $10,000, without further security than the pledge of the materials you have or may collect to go to the state, if you should die short of accomplishing the work.' I suppose you have seen Major W. A. Graham's new book of General Graham's Revolutionary papers. I note, he says that when Judge Murphey's historical mss. were finally located after his death, it was discovered that 'the lady of the house' had burned them up as rubbish. I cannot understand why steps were not taken immediately after his death to preserve them. Can you tell me of any other data prepared for him except that of Gen. Graham and where it is now? My letters came from the Kirkland residence, in Hillsboro, and so they escaped the fate of the others. How they got there I have not ascertained, and my friend, the autograph dealer, tells me that a number of the letters of Gen. Jethro Sumner, which passed through his hands, came from the same place. These I have date from 1801, when he was at the university, to the last years of his life.

"There was a second memorial in 1827, with regard to his history. The letters establish it beyond a doubt. It seems, too, that he published a circular addressed to voters, declaring his political views in the congressional election of 1827, when he ran against Gen. Barringer.

*

"It is my intention to publish all letters that have historical interest, together with what I can learn concerning the man himself." Very truly yours,

W. HENRY HOYT.

SOUTHERN EDUCATION CONFERENCE.-During April and May Mr. Edward Ingle, Baltimore, Md., contributed some very critical letters to the Charleston News and Courier on the work of the Conference for Education in the South, which is under the presidency of Mr. Robert C. Ogden, John Wannamaker's partner in New York. Mr. Ingle gathered a mass of evidence which he most capably set forth showing the need of educational missionary labors in various localities such as Boston, Connecticut, New York and Philadelphia. Rather sarcastically he suggested something about charity beginning at home. The whole series is a very able presentation of views against the wisdom and propriety of this movement for elevating the South.

ITALIANS IN SOUTHERN COTTON FIELDS.-A most significant statement is that contained in the Manufacturers' Re

cess.

cord, Baltimore, April 7, last, from the Honorable LeRoy Percy, Greenville, Miss., to the effect that he has tried Italians on a large plantation in Arkansas with the greatest sucSome have been there for a number of years, and have thriven so much that a number of their friends have come from Italy from time to time to join them. He says they make a profit of $5.00 out of the crop where the negro makes one. Still there is no clash between the two elements nor is there any tendency to race mixture. He is convinced that with proper management these Europeans can be brought in gradually to supersede the negro without hindering industry by the change. These results seem to promise a solution of the race problem though of course considerable time would be required for making the substitution.

THE FOURTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE UNITED CONFEDERATE VETERANS was successfully held in Nashville, Tenn., June 14-16, with an attendance of some 30,000 from the outside of members and friends. The orator of the occasion, on the fourteenth, was Rev. Dr. R. H. McKin, of Washington, D. C., with formal addresses by Gov. J. B. Frazier, of Tennessee, and Gen. S. D. Lee, of Mississippi. The sponsors were not so much in evidence as formerly because by resolution of the managing committee beforehand it was decided that the expenses of these ladies could not any longer be borne by the locality in which the meeting was held. The usual memorial services to Jefferson Davis and to the confederate dead were held. Bishop Gailor, of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee, was the speaker at the former, on the fourteenth, and Judge Thos. G. Jones at the latter, on the fifteenth. It is hoped to dedicate the Davis monument in Richmond in 1906 on the annual occasion then. On the business side, Adjt. Gen. W. E. Mickle reported a total of 1563 camps, with expenses of the year at $5,662, and with a reduction of the debt from $2,375 to $750, showing excellent financial management by this new officer. Reso