A Memorial to Congress to Secure an Adequate Appropriation for a Prompt and Thorough Improvement of the Mississippi River

St. Louis, MO: John J. Daly & Co., Printers, 1877. Softcover. First edition, 1 of 5000 copies; 7 1/2 x 5; pp. [5], 4-39, [1]; dark purple, pebbled cloth over card stock wraps; gilt title to front wrap; a few light faded spots to wraps; very good or better condition. Initialed in brown ink by Sylvester Waterhouse at the beginning of the first chapter.Sylvester Waterhouse (1830 - 1902) studied at Dartmouth College and Harvard University and was a Professor of Latin and Greek at Antioch College in Ohio and Washington University in St. Louis. He often spoke about and wrote various books on industrialization and development of the railroads and the American industries, the advantages of skilled labor, and the necessity for improvements of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. The first part of the current publication presented an address, given in front of Congress, requesting an immediate grant for betterment of the Mississippi and giving reasons necessitating it. The Appendix consisted of a paper, written by Waterhouse and given at the St. Louis Convention, presenting his arguments in favor of a Congressional appropriation of funds.