Illinois.—Illinois College, near Jacksonville, commenced as a preparatory school in 1830, and has made rapid progress. Large funds for its endowment have been recently provided in the Eastern States. The number of students about 80.
Shurtleff College of Alton, Illinois, was commenced under the efforts of Baptists at Alton in 1832, as a preparatory institution;—chartered as a college in February, 1835, and has been recently named in honor of a liberal patron, Dr. Benjamin Shurtleff, of Boston, Mass., who has presented the institution with $10,000. It has 60 students, and its prospects are encouraging. McKendreean College has been chartered, a building erected, and a school commenced at Lebanon. It is connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church. Charters have been recently granted for other colleges in this State, and measures adopted to bring some of them into existence. The Rev. Philander Chase, whose persevering labors brought into existence and successful operation, Kenyon college in Ohio, and who is now bishop of Illinois, is at present in England, where, by recent advices, he has obtained $50,000 to invest in Illinois lands, and to establish a college for the interests of the Episcopal church.
Missouri.—The Roman Catholics have two institutions of a collegiate character, established in this State, St. Mary's College, in Perry county, was established by Bishop Du Bourg, in 1822. It has 6,000 volumes in the library. Including the nunnery, and school for females, a seminary for the education of priests, a preparatory, and a primary school, the number of teachers and students are about 300.
St. Louis University was founded in 1829, and is conducted by the Fathers of the society of Jesuits. The edifice is 130 feet, by 40, of 4 stories, including the basement, and is situated on elevated and pleasant ground, on the confines of the city.
For the Protestants, the following institutions have been established. Columbia College, adjacent to Columbia, Boon county. The institution opened in 1835, under encouraging circumstances. Marion College is in a delightful tract of country, a prairie region, in the western part of Michigan county,—and has between 80 and 100 students. It is connected with the Presbyterian interests. The project as developed by some of its founders, is an immense one, including English, scientific, classical, theological, medical, agricultural, and law departments,—all to be sustained by manual labor, and the proceeds of extensive farms. Doubtless, by prudent and persevering efforts, a respectable college may be brought into successful operation. A college at St. Charles, has been founded, principally by the liberality of George Collier, a merchant of St. Louis, and two or three other gentlemen, and a classical and scientific school has been commenced.
Arkansas.—Efforts are making to establish a college by Presbyterian agency, at Cane Hill, in this newly formed State. Two or three collegiate institutions will soon be needed in this region.
Kentucky.—Transylvania University, at Lexington, is the oldest collegiate institution in the West. It was commenced, by a grant of 8,000 acres of land by the legislature of Virginia, in 1783, and was then called "Transylvania Seminary." The "Kentucky Academy" was founded in 1794, and both institutions were united and incorporated in 1798, under the present name. It has classical, medical, law, and preparatory departments,—and including each, from 300 to 400 students.
Center College, at Danville, was founded by the Presbyterian church, in 1818, for which the synod of Kentucky pledged $20,000. Number of students about 100. Augusta College was founded in 1822, by the Ohio and Kentucky conferences of the Methodist Episcopal church. It adopted collegiate regulations in 1828. Number of students in the collegiate, academical and primary departments, about 200.
Cumberland College was incorporated in 1824, and is established at Princeton, in the western part of the State. It is under the patronage and jurisdiction of the Cumberland Presbyterians. A farm, including a tract of 5,000 acres of land, with workshops, furnish facilities for manual labor. It has about 80 students.
St. Joseph's College is a Roman Catholic institution, at Bardstown, with college buildings sufficient to accommodate 200 students, and valued at $60,000. It commenced with 4 students in 1820. In 1833 there were in the collegiate and preparatory departments, 120 students. The St. Thomas and St. Mary Seminaries are also under the charge of Roman Catholic priests, the one in Nelson county, four miles from Bardstown, and the other in Washington county.