nity of the United States, if they had carried has it in his power to contract, if circumstantheir threat into execution. Mr. George S. ces such as the threatened "strike" should Bangs was sent to New York with instruc- render it necessary, with any one of the great tions to endeavor to effect a compromise, trunk lines, giving to it the exclusive transtemporarily at least, so as to avoid the pend-portation of the mails at a compensation equal ing calamity, for the withdrawal of the postal to that now paid to all the lines combined for cars from all the leading railroads of the coun- performing that service. The Erie company, try would have been nothing less. At the appreciating this fact, withdrew from the coalisame time, the matter was referred to the then tion. It is, however, but due to state that, newly organized "Select Committee of the from the first, President Watson, of the Erie Senate on Transportation Routes to the Sea- Company, seemed disposed to take a view of board" (Hon. Wm. Windom, of Minn., chair- this matter rather different from that taken man), with instructions to consider and re- by the representatives of the other railroad port upon "the nature and extent of the companies; and, in conversation with Mr. obligations subsisting between the railroad Bangs, repeatedly said that, in his opinion, companies and the postal service of the the roads running postal cars derived considcountry; and whether any, and what, legisla-erable benefit therefrom, indirectly, through tion is necessary to guard the postal service against interruption or injury by hostile action on the part of said railroad companies, or any of them." Meanwhile, Mr. Bangs had succeeded in effecting an arrangement with the Erie Company, which agreed to suspend action in the matter, and continue running the postal cars under previous conditions, until a settlement could be reached through the intervention of the Senate Committee above referred to. This breach had the effect of making all the companies agree to continue the service on the same terms and conditions as heretofore, until the matter could be settled by the Senate "Committee on Transportation," as it is now usually called. It was not, however, the prospect that this committee would accede to and report favorably upon their demands, in their present form, which caused the other companies to suspend the threatened withdrawal of the service, although, in the letter which they subsequently addressed to the Postmaster General, it would appear so. But under the law, as it now stands, that officer the increase in traffic along their lines occasioned and encouraged by the frequency and promptness of the mail service in consequence of the postal cars. "The railroads as public servants," said this gentleman, "and in view of the franchises which have been granted them by the people, are indebted to the public to such an extent, certainly, that the withdrawal of the postal-facilities, and consequent confusion and damage, would be little less than a crime." He also expressed himself perfectly willing to run postal-cars on the Erie route without any change in the old arrangement, until the question at issue should be finally decided by the Committee on Transportation. Rather than allow the Erie to enjoy the valuable privilege of monopolizing the carrying of the mails, the companies all withdrew their objections temporarily, awaiting action by the Committee on Transportation, before whom they, as well as the Government, will have a full and fair hearing,-and thus the matter rests at present. CORNELL UNIVERSITY. CONSPICUOUS among our many institutions | of learning is Cornell University. This prominence is the result of a combination of causes, among which may be mentioned the peculiar nature and the richness,-actual and prospective,-of its endowments, the liberality of the principles upon which it has been planned and administered, the equality which it seeks to establish among the several departments of instruction, and the remarkable growth in numbers of its faculty and its body of students. Inasmuch, however, as the University is not situated upon any of the great highways of travel, the number of its visitors is still comparatively small. The great mass of tourists of New York State itself are acquainted with the University merely by reputation. This ignorance can only be regretted, for both the University and its surroundings present much of interest to visitors of every class. Ithaca, a town of about 10,000 inhabitants, is situated three-fourths of a mile from the upper or southern end of Cayuga Lake. The University buildings are located on East Hill, outside the limits of the town, and half a mile north from the town-hall. Standing as they do on the very brow of the hill, they are conspicuous in every direction. The usual way of approaching them is to ascend the hill by one of the streets running directly east, and then, having reached the first ridge, to turn to the north. At this turn stands the Cascadilla, a massive stone building, one hundred and ninety-five feet by one hundred, and four stories in height. It was planned originally for a water-cure establishment, but was leased and is now used, and in part owned, by the University. It contains apartments for professors and their families, dormitories for students, a large reception-room, and the general University offices. The grounds have been terraced and sodded: the western windows afford a handsome view of the town. The road winds around the building, and then up the Cascadilla ravine for a few hundred feet to the east, and then turns to the north, crossing the ravine by a frail-looking bridge suspended forty or fifty feet above the bed. From this bridge there is, to the left, a charming glimpse down the brook as it tumbles in a succession of sparkling cascades over its rocky bed, hurrying to join the lake below. Nor is the view to the right less picturesque, as the brook quietly emerges from the dark woods of hemlock. The road continues northward, winding through a small grove, until it reaches the summit of the ridge, and the lake and the University buildings proper come into view. The distance from the Cascadilla to the University is somewhat less than half a mile. The buildings are, at present, five in number. Three of them stand in a row on the edge of the hill and parallel with the line of the lake and the valley. These three are the South and the North Universities and, between the two, the McGraw building. A little farther to the north, and at right angles to the main line, is the Sibley building. In the middle of the inclosure, and opposite the McGraw building, is the laboratory. This is of wood. The others are of stone. The two Universities are each one hundred and sixty-five feet by fifty, four stories high, and are used partly for dormitories and partly for recitationrooms. The Sibley building is eighty feet by forty. The McGraw building, at present the finest of all, is two hundred feet by sixty, and is surmounted by a clock-tower one hundred and twenty feet high. This is almost completed inside, and will give ample accommodation for the rapidly growing library and the various collections in natural science, besides many large lecture-rooms. The Sibley building is occupied by the department of the Mechanic Arts. It contains the engine-room, printing-press, machine-shop, draughting-rooms, and also the botanical laboratory. Besides these two recent gifts, the Sibley and McGraw buildings, the University is to be the recipient of another and still larger donation. Henry W. Sage, Esq., of Brooklyn, has given the sum of $250,000 for the erection of a dormitory for female students, and the equipment of a so-called female department. This dormitory is to stand somewhat detached from the other buildings, in the lot immediately south of the present grounds, and will be, when completed, one of the handsomest structures in the country. On the little knoll to the east of the university lot are the neat cottage residences of Professors Law and Fiske, and the President's house, a handsome brick building, the gift of Mr. White to the University. From almost any point in the University grounds the view is fine. But the choicest spot, perhaps, is the little knoll in front of the western side of the McGraw building. Standing here on a natural terrace, the spectator may let his eye sweep with unobstructed vision over a panorama of uncommon loveliness. At his feet, half hidden in foliage, nestles the town, four hundred feet below. To the right, the smooth waters of the lake stretch away for miles. Directly across the valley, and spreading to right and left, is the broad slope of West Hill, dotted with farmhouses and intersected with roads. To the far left, and gradually losing itself among the distant hills, is the Newfield valley with its graceful contours, a vista of which the eye seems never to grow weary. It is difficult to decide whether June, with its fresh, dark foliage, or October, with its multitudinous tints, offers the more attractions. Even in January, when field and wood and lake are alike covered with their mantle of snow or ice, the view is strikingly beautiful. No other college grounds, excepting, perhaps, those of the University of California at Oakland, can rival Cornell in its scenery. The eye may range at least forty miles from THE CASCADILLA. north to south over a broad zone of thrift, and quiet, diversified beauty. Mention has been made of the Cascadilla ravine. A few rods to the north of the University grounds is the no less beautiful and much grander gorge of Fall Creek. From the mill-dam to the base of the lower fall, a distance of a mile or a mile and a half, the water descends four hundred and fifty feet, in a succession of falls and rapids. Three years ago a path was made along the northern bank, alternately following the side of the stream or zigzagging along the tops of the overhanging cliffs. The distinct falls are five in number; the smallest is thirty feet in height, the highest, and last, over one hundred. There is always a fair volume of water in the creek; but in the spring, after a heavy freshet, the ravine thunders with the rush of the swollen torrent, and at such times it is one of the special sights of Ithaca to stand on the bridge of the lake road, at the base of the lower fall, and watch the huge masses of water and spray plunging down in angry bounds. But Ithaca is not rich in its immediate surroundings alone. It can also point with satisfaction to its numerous charming drives and walks. The valley of Six-Mile-Run, east of the town, is well worthy of exploration. Three miles up the Newfield valley, on the eastern side, is the romantic ravine of Buttermilk creek. Five miles farther, on the other side, is Enfield ravine, a secluded gorge that offers many fine views. In the opposite direction, about twelve miles from town, near the western bank of the lake, is the cascade of Tuyghanic, or Taughannock, as it is variously spelled. Here everything but the volume of water is on a grand scale. The sides of the ravine, which is almost if not quite half a mile wide at the top, are formed by two slate cliffs, three hundred and fifty feet high, and coming together at the upper end of the ravine so as to form a rocky amphitheater. At this upper end the wall is fissured for some distance from the top by a narrow gorge, from which issues a small stream that makes a sheer descent of over two hundred feet to the bed of the main ravine below. Standing on the outlook by the side of the road in front of the hotel, the visitor can take in at a glance the huge gulf below and the tiny, slow-dropping cascade. The northern bank itself is also interesting aside from its view. It has, in consequence of the width of the ravine, a very fine southern exposure, and is completely shelter ed from the cold winds. For a hundred or a hundred and fifty feet up from the base, the débris of the disintegrated slate rocks has accumulated, and this soil, in itself fertile and being thus favored in warmth and in moisture (from the spray of the fall), has become a great natural hot-bed, as it were, for the most luxuriant vegetation. The range of species is extensive, while the abundance of plants is extraordinary. There is probably not another spot of the size in this country, perhaps not even in the tropics, that surpasses it in this respect. Ithaca being shut in by hills, it follows that the roads leading out of town must be more or less hilly. This drawback to locomotion, however, is more than made good by the variety of the scenery. The country is well cultivated and fertile, the roads no worse than the American average, and the views shifting and ever pleasing. One cannot go amiss in any direction. The most charming drive is perhaps the one up the Newfield valley. Some of the cross-roads leading down the eastern bank of the lake afford romantic but rather hazardous passages. In short, the traveler who has a week or more to spare may make Ithaca the starting-point for a number of excursions. The country is so beautifully accidenté, to use a French term for which our language has no equivalent, that he may be always sure of finding some view at once novel and picturesque. To the naturalist, also, the neighborhood is one full of interest. The entire bed and valley of the lake is an immense excavation, or gully, made in the Devonian strata, which are handsomely exposed at many places along the banks. North of Cayuga Bridge the formation is Silurian. Proceeding from the bridge southward to Ithaca, we enter the Devonian. At Union Springs we find the Oriskany limestone, rich in fossils. Between Union Springs and Aurora there is a bed of corniferous limestone. From near Aurora to within a few miles of Ithaca we have the Hamilton formation, extremely rich in trilobites, spirifers, etc. Before reaching Ithaca there is a strip of Portage, while in the immediate neighborhood of the town the entire side of the valley, from top to bottom, is composed of Chemung rocks abounding in fossils. These several strata from Union Springs to Ithaca have a slight dip to the south. A few words upon the botanical features of the neighborhood of Ithaca. By reason of the diversity of soil and temperature, and peculiarities of exposure, the flora is unusually rich and full. Towards the lake there are many varieties of marsh plants, among them the White and Yellow WaterCrowfoot and the Yellow Lady's Slipper. The glens contain several varieties of orchids, and are extremely rich in ferns and mosses. There have also been discovered, quite recently, two species of plants very rare in this latitude: the Pinguicula vulgaris and the Primula mistassinica. The woods present an equal proportion of deciduous and evergreen trees: white pines, hemlocks, maples, oaks, etc. Among rarer ones are the Magnolia acuminata, and the Liriodendron tulipi fera. Trailing arbutus is found in many places in great profusion. The wake-robin, or nodding trillium, is found in Taughan nock Ravine. The marsh lands between the town and the lake contain a few uncommonly large sycamores, and the willows on the flats and along the lower water-courses are numerous and flourishing. Cornell University has been the subject of extravagant praise and no less extravagant censure. Both praise and censure have been hurtful, and both have arisen from a misconception of the aim and limits of the institution. It would not be possible to give, in a brief sketch like the present, the details of the plan of studies and the general administration. The reader who may wish to inform himself thoroughly in the minutiae of the University has only to consult the annual catalogue, or register, where everything is stated with exactness and fullness. The present article will attempt to give nothing beyond broad outlines, and such features of interest as cannot well be presented in official publications. of The University was born in troublous times. Its germ lay in the act of Congress, passed in the darkest days of the war, July, 1862, whereby public lands were apportioned among the several States for the purpose encouraging instruction in agriculture, the mechanic arts, and military tactics. The share of the State of New York amounted, in scrip, to 990,000 acres. After much delay and not a little counter-legislation (for the details of which the reader may consult the Laws Relating to the University, printed by order of the Trustees), this scrip and the proffered endowment of $500,000 from Mr. Cornell were consolidated, and the University was incorporated in 1865. It was opened in October, 1868, with a faculty of sixteen professors and two assistants, and an entering class of over three hundred. The faculty were strangers to the students, and almost strangers to one another. There was but one building available for recitations, and CASCADILLA FALLS. was in wretched condition, and at times almost impassable from frequent rains. Only one who witnessed the difficulties under which president and faculty strug gled throughout that fall term can realize the burden of them or appreciate the smoothness and regularity of the present organization. Not before the Christmas vacation came the first breathing-spell, when the faculty could look around them and see that the University really had consistency and shape. Since that time progress has been uniform and rapid. The number of full professors has grown to twenty; of assistant professors, eleven; instructors, three; non-resident professors, eight; besides a number of shortcourse lecturers on special topics. In round numbers, the entire educational staff may be estimated at fifty. The number of students has increased to five hundred and ninety-five. In place of one over-crowded building there are now five, while the ground for the sixth, the Sage building, has already been broken. The funds, also, have been greatly augmented. The original endowment was composed of the $500,000 from Mr. Cornell and the scrip for nearly a million of acres of western lands. To his original gift Mr. Cornell has added the land on which the buildings are erected, a large farm for the agricultural department, apparatus, and other donations aggregating over one hundred thousand dollars additional. Of the scrip, four hundred thousand acres were sold as scrip for about a dollar an acre, and the proceeds added to the other cash endowments. The scrip for the remaining five hundred and forty thousand acres was carefully located, chiefly in Wisconsin. Some of these lands have recently been sold at a handsome profit; upwards of two hundred thousand acres at four and at five dollars an acre. The income from vested funds has thus been raised from $60,000 to about $140,000, while there is still a residue of 270,000 acres of choice Western lands held for future sale. The library is growing rapidly, and now contains (including the lately purchased Sparks' collection) 35,000 volumes. : The instruction is subdivided into three general courses in Science, in Literature, and in Arts. The course in Arts corresponds, in the main, to the usual college curriculum, and candidates for admission to it are examined much as they would be at Harvard or Yale. Candidates for the course in Science are examined only in the so-called English studies, i. e., in English grammar, geography, and algebra through quadratics. The course consists of mathematics, French and German, the natural sciences, history, English literature, etc. The course in Literature lies between the other two. The chief difference between it and the course in arts consists in the substitution of modern languages for Greek. Besides these general courses, there are special courses in Agriculture, in the Mechanic Arts, and in Engineering. In addition to the students in these general and special courses, there are the so-called elective students. These do not follow any of the routines of study, but select for themselves from term to term or year to year. Some of them, indeed, confine themselves to. one study, chemistry, for instance, or geology. These special students are not entitled to any degree. The faculty exercises over them a supervisory power, seeing that the studies which they |