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Title: Letter from Elisha Mitchell to Charles Manly, December 19, 1836: Electronic Edition.
Author: Mitchell, Elisha, 1793-1857
Funding from the University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill supported the electronic publication of this title.
Text transcribed by Bari Helms
Images scanned by Bari Helms
Text encoded by Sarah Ficke
First Edition, 2005
Size of electronic edition: ca. 29K
Publisher: The University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
2005

No Copyright in US

The electronic edition is a part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill digital library, Documenting the American South.
Languages used in the text: English
Revision history:
2005-11-09, Sarah Ficke finished TEI/XML encoding
Source(s):
Title of collection: University of North Carolina Papers (#40005), University Archives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Title of document: Letter from Elisha Mitchell to Charles Manly, December 19, 1836
Author: Elisha Mitchell
Description: 7 pages, 7 page images
Note: Call number 40005 (University Archives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
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Letter from Elisha Mitchell to Charles Manly , December 19, 1836
Mitchell, Elisha, 1793-1857



Page 1
University of NCa., Dec. 19th 1836

To Charles Manly Esqr

Treasurer of the University

Dear Sir

I wished to send down at one time all the accounts I have to present to you and it has not been in my power to finish them until this time because I could not get some of the items rendered sooner. I beg leave to call your attention to some 5 or 6 items of business.
1. On the top of the first page of the inclosed sheet you will find an account of my receipts of Tuition monies and Room Rent for the past session and of my disbursements of the same. You may perhaps be struck with some surprise that an intimate and dear friend of mine E. Mitchell by name should have shared more largely than his associates in the good things paid in m by the students. The fact does not perhaps admit of a good defence but it may be pleaded in extenuation that there was a resolution of the board last winter directing that the house in which I live should be put in good repair. I have been proceeding in this business and paying the bills as they came in but supposing it would be most agreeable to you to have the tuition monies stand altogether as an offset to the salaries of the Faculty. I have therefore charged whatever has been disbursed in this way to my own salary and left the bills apparently unpaid.
2. There follows next a copy of bills created by the executor of the Repairs above referred to amounting to. In regards to this sum I have to remark, that the house being old had fallen much to decay. The fences were in ruins, the piazza in front of the house could hardly be supported by all the props we could collect about it, the rain came in through the roof so that it required no little skill to select a place in our sleeping apartment where one could keep dry of a rainy night. The repairs were therefore commenced as far back as 1833 and have been proceeding slowly ever since. It was recommended to me and Dr. Webb approved to include those earlier operations (the putting new sills and floor to the piazza and shingling one side

Page 2
of the house were of the number) to include these also in the bills that should be made out. They are therefore included by way of experiment to see what the Committee will say to them. If I am thought to be pushing too far I give you authority to amputate at whatever joint shall seem to you most decent. The bills of the carpenters are copied, I retain the originals as vouchers. I believe them to be reasonable. I am not so clear about the lumber where the articles for college work, for the work done at the expence of the Trustees on my house and for my own private account are a good deal jumbled together. The house where I live still wants about 50 dollars laid out upon it.
3. On the third and fourth pages of the sheet is an account of the disbursement of one hundred dollars that you entrusted to me last summer. Finding the Theodolite, Lanes , Pikes, Collins's1 and Smith and Hodgson's bills with the transportation amount to nearly an hundred. I have made out the round sum with small bills here giving Barbees at a venture to make just an hundred and have left out a pair of brass reflectors with their appurtenances that I purchased also last summer. I mention them by way of protest that if I should drop away suddenly they should not because they have made their appearance at the Laboratory be considered as other than my private property.
4. I was instructed by the Committee last winter to rent a certain house in this place for the use of the President till another should be prepared. This I did for 75 dollars if I do not mistake. The President never used the house but Christmas the contractor for the brick came in and occupied it in March or April (Waitt knows). The Trustees are out of pocket in the business about 18 dollars. But they are responsible to the owner and renter of the house the whole 75. This claim on them has been conveyed to me.
5. I shall after the expiration of two days have my bursar accounts ready and it seems to be due to all parties to have them audited. Also if there should be any person in the Committee, in the Board generally, or elsewhere who delight in auditing accounts there are sundry old papers of the ci divast Superintendents in which he may enjoy himself ad libitum. I am intending to start soon on a geological excurson and it will be most convenient to me to postpone this business till near the close of the vacation. But I will attend promptly to any mandate I may receive from you.

Page 3
6. If you can from any or all of the sources indicated in this communication — Salary still due — liquidation of bills for the repair of the house where I am writing — or rent due for that engaged for the President — put me in funds for the amount of some 300 dollars I shall be much rejoiced. Can you command leisure to drop me a line in relation to these and other matters?

Yours Respectfully,

E. Mitchell

For Charles Manly Esqr.


Back page



Page 1

Trustees Account with the Bursar Second Session 1836
Trustees By Tuition and R. Rent from 84 Students 2184 00
Cv. By Tuition from 1 Student 25 00
By Tuition and R.R. from 3 for half session 39 00
By two Students whose education is free
Total of Receipts $ 2248 00
Trustees By amount of Salary paid President Swain 450 00
Dv. Professor Mitchell 543 00
Hooper 300 00
Phillips 300 00
D.B. Hooper 200 00
Tutor McAlister 100 00
Owen 130 00
paid Bursar fees 225 00
Total of Disbursement $00 2248 00

Copy of Bills for repairs on the house occupied by the Prof. Chemistry [Copy of Carpenter bills.]
To hewing 37 garden posts at 1/. 3 70
To making 24 panels fence at 2/. 4 80
To repairing palings (railing and foot boards dressed) 2 00
To making yard gate 20/ 2 00
To hanging gate 25
To 2 Window frames at 15/ each 3 00
To cutting out and putting in window frames 2 00
To making 24 lights of sash at 12/ cents 3 00
To putting in 24 panes of glass at 4c 96
To putting new sills and flooring to piazza 19 41
To Shingling 682 feet at 15/ pr hundred 10 30
To Shingling porch 180 feet at 15/ 2 70
To mending Sheeting and cast board 50
To Stable floor and partition 1 50
To 1/4th on the amount of shingling for board 4 37½
To raising scaffold poles 2 00
To hewing 49 posts at 12/ cents 6 12½
Amount carried over $68 62

Page 2
Copy of bills for Repairs on the house occ. by the Prof. of Chemistry, Copy of Carpenters bills

Amount brought over 68 62
To hewing 3 sills 56 feet at 2/ 1 12
To putting up 28 panels of paling at 40c 11 20
To putting up 28 panels of planking at 20c 4 40
To digging 54 post holes at 5c 2 70
To making and hanging large gate 3 00
To making and hanging 2 small [gates] 4 00
To work done on barn 50
To board on fourth of the above account 8 31
To cash paid Mr. Gattes for hauling 2 00
To drying plank 1 00
To 480 feet of flooring at 1/c per foot 7 20
To 1004 feet of ceiling at 1/c per foot 15 00
To running stairs and banisters 10 00
To carrying plank into Garret 1 00
To 96 feet of wash-boards at 5c per foot 4 80
To cutting 2 windows and facing up 2 00
To making 8 lights of sash at 1/ 80
To putting in 8 panes of glass at 5c 40
To board on fourth 10 31½
To putting new sills and floor to back porch 13 88
To making new steps to do. and piazza 8. 12
Henry Meritt's bill of lumber (1524 feet) boards 15 24.
(228 feet) scantling 2 28.
Bingess bill for shingles (5000) 2'50 15 00
Benton Utley shingles to finish 1 00
John Gatte's charge for hauling 2 50
Henry Meritt's second bill of lumber in part 26 29
Nails, etc, etc 7 00
Total $249 67


Page 3
Account of disbursement for Theodolite and Chemicals
Cash drawn from the Treasury in June 1836 100 00
Disbursements
Paid William Young Phil. rep. of Theodolite 26 75
Ephraim Lane of Munroe box of Minerals 10 00
Benjamin Pike 2 union pieces to Air pump 1 50
Thermometer shade to steam ap. 3 00
Guiding and turning Opr Hemispheres 75
tube to plate with collar of leathers 1 00
centre piece for air pump plate 37
Jos. B. Collins 1 Stereotype plate 75
2 sticks of sealing wax 1 50
4 oz. Tuffoe 87½
Smith and Hodgson 1 small clay furnace 87½
1 large clay Furnace 2 00
8 lb. Animal Charcoal 2 00
8 ½ lb Tine 1 03
3 oz. Gamboge 37 ½
1 lb. Bermuda Arrow Root 75
14 7/8 lb. Carb. Potassa 3 97
½ oz. Vanilla bean 50
Chafing dish 37 ½
2 oz. Malleable Nickel 1 00
2 oz. Bisulpharus of Carbon 2 50
1 oz. Deutoxid of Barium 2 04
1 oz. Peroxide of Copper 54
2 lb. Fluate of Lime 50
1 Dram Morphia pure vial 1 03
Acetate 1 03
Sulphate 1 03
Muriate 1 28
Narcotise & Vial 78
Porcelain Crucibles, ½ each 2 00
2 oz. 1 25
Caoutehom Gas bag 7 00
Barrel Box. Porterage 1 00
20 Rupert's Drops 62 ½
Amount Carried over $81 97 ½ 100 00

Page 4
Account of Disbursement for Chemicals Etc.
Amount brought over 81 97 ½ 100 00
Expences on Theodolite Transportation 1 50
box of Minerals from Lane 1 50
box to and from Pike 2 00
boxes from Smith & Hodgson 2 25
Benton Utley's bill of Sundries 3 49
Second bill of Merchandise 2 75
Norfleet and Henderson's bill 75
N. J. King Glass 1 00
James McDade 55
William Barbee's bill of coal and wood about 2 24 100 00

Endnotes:

1. Probably Joseph B. Collins.