In Days Gone By

The following letter, wrïtten to the Detroit Daily Advertiser from Ann Arbor, ander date of Muy 15, 1842, Just 54 years ago, is well w#rth any person's time to read who lives in Ann Arboir, and knows anything of the City as it is to-day. It isra well writtan article, and pictures Ann Arbor in au admirable manner . Read it : "This village is so well known throughout our península, that a description of it is deemed supertluous - ifotwithstajiding the pressure of the times, new buildings are going up. Daring jnojiey pressure, for the past three years, the county has had a decided advance' over most of the otftuers of our state, in consequence of tfhO expenditures of the state on the Central railroad, as rising 40 miles lies witliin its borders andnear $400,000 luave been disbuirsed on this work in tjhis couinty, for labor in grading and tim'ber for superstructure. This has been mo small item in the ïinances of the ooumty, and created a constant circulation of a large amount of money, and presenbed a fine market for a part of til large surplus products of the agriculturalist. There are in the villase, 20 dry goods stores, 23 groceries, 2 hardware stores, and 2 lwit manufactories; 1 tannery, 2 extensivo tin manuiactories, 2 cliair ditto ; 2 coach and ■wagon establishinents, soap and candle factory, 1 fumace and plough factory, 1 pottery, and every braneh of mechanical business that you usually find in a large New England village ; 3 pr inting establistnnents and 3 newspapers. Of houses of ieligiouis worsihip', they are well supplied, viz : Presbyt-erlan, Episcopal, Universalist, Baptist and Methodist. "There are five hotels and one Teinperance House kept by Captain Goodrich, -who has recently kicked King Alcohol out of his premises. Tlie Detroit tetotellers sJiould bear him in mind, whea they visit this village. He sets a table second to none in "Washteinaw. (This Temperance Hiouse still rematas in tihe city, on the east side of the couirt house square, being used in part by Martin Seabolt's laundry.) The population of the village is estimated at 2,800. The new post office, recently erected by Mark Howare, Eisq., does credit to the place. It is the best arranged post office in Michigan. Th amount of postage received at the office the past year is near $2,500. Ten years ago, it did not amount to $300. "Triie postoffice erected by Mark Howard is the buildins' at the northwest corner of E. Ann st. and Fourth ave., opposite the Arlington House, now occupied ,by an Italian fruit vender. The amount of postage received has now increased from $2,500 to over $32,000. Such is the change that Time 1rings about.) The fire proof couinty buildings here, make tlhe records eafe, while Wayne county under the plea of poverty, rlska the titles to millioms of property, to be kept in aay part of ilie city, when the btatutes require that she shall erect Buitable buildings. A society has been organized here, (wiich ehould be done in many other villages, that ive kmow of,) to ornament the court yard and walks of the streets, witb shade trees. It is a praisewortiiy object. As this is to be the future 'literary emporium' of our state, a little attentlon to the matter would soon make it vie with that of the New Haven ornamental trees and shrubbery, whicli abound in iher streets, and redound to her credit, as well as to entice gentlemen of leisure to spend their gummer months in luxuriating ander its green foliage. (This work of the early pioneers has made this city a beautiful one, ex celled by none in the west. Could tfluose enterprising fathers look upon our streets to-day, they would be pleased witth their work.) The society has completed setting out trees in the public square, which are protected by boxes around them, neatly whitewashed. Several private lots are also adorned. "We particularly noliced those around the beautiful mansions of the Hon. R. S. AVilsom and "W. IS. Maynard, Esq. By the way, the cottage of Mr. Maynard is juist tüie himg to pattern aft er by tírase who are putting up that class of buildings in Detroit, while that of Mr. TVilson should be visited by our mechanics as a. ispecimen of excellent architecture and beautiful finish. As a whole, it íms no superior in the state. (The house of tWm. S. Maynard's spoken of, is still standing, and is a good bou'se [vet. It is known as No. 8i S. Main st.) MICHIGAN UNIVERSITT. The college grounds occupy about 40 acres of 'beautiful level ground. Fout professor's liouses have been erected of brick in good style, at a cost of $8,000 leacli. A wing of the T'niversity has íbeen completed, 110 feet long a-nd40 wide, 4 stories high, at a oostiof $16,000. The Uiniversity is oioiv open for students. Rev. Joseph TVhiting of the Niles branch, hasibeen appointed professor of languages, and George P. ■Villiams of Pontiac. professor of mathematies. Eoth of these gentlemen are now eragaged in their duties. Donglnss Houghton, Esq., of Detroit, has been appointed professor of geology, anineralogy and ehemistry and is expected to enter upon his duties this mönth. The library of the college contains about 4,000 volumes, of which near 1,000 are of rare works imported from Erarope, last ytíar. The minieroglcal cabinet was purcihased of Baron Uederer of Austria, at a cost v'of $4,000. It contains almost every known mineral in the world, and is the most extensive collection in the tünited States, being much richer that that of Tale college, Which originally cost $20,000. To thiB is added a very extensive collection of rock specimens, fosslls, American minerals, together witb a geological and ornithological collection of great value. The latter is composed of near 2,000 specimens, stuffed and in good order, including those prepared urader the direction of Dr. Houghton, as found in Michigan and other portions of our country, altogether forming greater facilities and inducements íor study oí natural histoiy that can be had in any institution in the Union. Several students have entered the freshman class. A preparatory school is also in operation under the cliarge of the professors which now numbers with t he ïreshman class, over 40 students. There are also ïour other branches in operation, as follows: Places. Principáis, No. ofPupils Detroit, Rev. Mr. MeigS, 24 Kalmazoo, Rev. Mr. Dutton, 36 White Pigeon, Rev. S. Newburry, 26 Tecumseh, A. Harvie, 43 UNIVERSITY FUND. The superintendent, very justly calis to Vino notice of the regents, the law Which requlres a department "with competent instmetors in the theology of agriculture, itncludlng vegetable physiology, agrlcultural ehemistry, and experimental farming and agriculture." It is to be hoped an early attention will be glven to this subject, as three-quartere of our population are engaged in cultlvating the soil. Students entering the collegiate department are exempt from all charges [Continued on 8th pagel IN DAYS GONE BY, (Continued from lst Page.) Of tuition. Two of the professor's buildings are for the present occupied as boording h o uses ; 011e by tMrs. Turner and the other by Miss tëpelinan both formerly of your city, íind excellent board eau be obtained from ípl.50 to $2 per week. The original fund cwas 45,440 acres; the minimum prlce of the land $15 per acre, $6Sl,600. Of this there has been sold 11,909 acres for the Bum of $193,5S4.06, and the back interest due, which is $33,214.57, not one farthing had Ibeen pald during the year 1841, nnd since the last report, but about $600 has come into Che treasury as interest on the Washtenaw county loan. During the year, 367 acres have been sold at en average of $17 the acre ; and of iorfeited lands, 168 acres at $19.52 per .acre. The professors are paid $500 a year. I called into the office of superintendent of public instruction, and found Mr. Sawyer busily engaged in apportioning the echool money by various towns,- Your city "will receive alwut $550 this year. _The law conteraplates a dividend to the districts on the first lof Maren, but as the amount received up to that time, would not have exceeded four cents a scholar, Mr. Sawyer judiciously delayed the apportionment until this month, and instead of four uents to a scholar, as he would have been under the necessity of f orwarding to the eounty treasurers in Maren, he rliinks he will now be able to pay over 25 cents to tthe scholar. The accuin ulating, unpaid interest on the lands sold, amoumts to nbout $100,000 and unpaid instalments to as much more. During tihe past year, the superintendent has visited tnost of the counties in the istate, and delivered pulblic lectures, urglng and Showing the neaeesity of more attention being given to education. In many countie?, tiirough his indefatigable perseveranee lie has awakened the pulblic to give tihe subject more investigation, and county education societies have lieea organized, wliich, if kept up with spirit, wiU be of vast benefit to the rising generation. LOWER VILLAGE.- This part of Ann Arbor hais grown with rapidity unexampled, and must continue to, as the water power is improved. Tliere is sufficient iiydraulic power to opérate an immense amount of machinery, and if tlie tariff queetioa is favorably settled, the peculiar advantages of ite location wiU insure Ha use. The nvoollen factory and paper mili located here. I have already aJluded to in tother articles you have published. SIXCLAIR'S FLOüR MILL. Is near the (bridge. It was originally erected by Messrs. Brown & Co. About three years since "Wm. M. Sinclair, Esq., became tihe purchaser of it. Since then it has undergone a thorough repair, improved machinery introduced, and every modern invention that facilitates and improves the manufacture of flour is connected with it. It cost $25.000 ; sontafa five run of stone. and is capable of nianufacturtag 800 'barrels a week, and did do it last fall, as will be judged from the fact. that after the wheat har vest, and before the close of canal navigation in New York, last season, Mt. Sinclair got to New York 8.112 barrels ; the average sale of which was Bix dollars, eleven cents, one mili, He Jias wheat for 5,000 barrels more, makmg 11,112 barrels. This is porbably a larger amount of business than any other mili in the state has done in the same time. Rising $60,000 in specie funds, has been disbursed for whieat within the last eight months. This one mili twlll pay the state over $3,000 in a year, for transportation on the irailroad. There are several other establislimente about here I mtended to vlsit, but defer it until another time. J. S.