as  a  grievous  and  unwarranted  wrong,  but  our  delegation  in  con-
gress raised  no  voice  against  it.  After  the -Mexican  war  the  free
entry  of  lands  by  laud  warrants  caused  the  3  per  cent,  fund  to  be
materially  lessened,  and  the  legislature,  in  1849.  authorized  its
proceeds  to  be  invested  in  Illinois  bonds,  then  low  in  market,
which  would  have  been  a  wise  expedient  for  the  8  preceding  years
but  now  nothing  much  came  of  it.  The  seminary  fund  received
additions  from  time  to  time,  as  sales  were  made,  and  in  1861,  the
residue  of  the  laud  was  turned  over  to  the  agricultural  coUege,
the  principal  of  the  fund  being  $59,838.  The  State  in  1857  had
set  apart  the  interest  of  the  college  and  seminary  funds  for  the
maintenance  of  the  normal  university,  except  one-fourth  for
the  deaf  and  dumb  asylum.  In  1837  the  legislature  added  to
the  common  school  fund  the  proceeds  of  the  surplus  revenue  of
the  IT.  S.,  distributed  to  the  several  States  by  act  of  congress,
amounting  at  that  time,  to  $132,856,  the  State  paying  interest
thereon  at  the  rate  of  6  per  ceiA  This  fund  thus  escaped  being
swallowed  up  in  the  vortex  of  the  internal  improvement  system  of
that  period.  The  several  sums  thus  derived  may  be  called  the
permanent  State  common  school  fund,  the  whole  amounting,
when  the  firee  school  system  was  entered  upon  in  1855,  to  $951,-
504,  yielding  an  annual  interest  of  $57,700,  one-fourth  of  which
Vas  distributed  to  the  deaf  and  dumb  asylum.
But  a  more  important  and  really  munificent  donation  from  con-
gress was  the  16th  section  of  every  congressional  township,  or  if
sold,  lands  equivalent  thereto,  as  contiguous  as  might  be,  for  the
use  of  the  inhabitants  of  such  township  for  school  purposes.
