The Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer, and Attorney-General are elected annually on the 1st Wednesday of April, for the year commencing the last Tuesday of May. The Auditor is elected by the Assembly. The Commissioner of Schools is appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the Senate. The Senate consists of the Governor, who presides, the Lieutenant-Governor, and one Senator from each of the thirty-two towns in the State. The House of Representatives consists of 72 members. The Legislature holds its regular session at Newport on the last Tuesday of May, and a session, by adjournment, at Providence in January following. The pardoning power, except in cases of impeachment, is taken from the Legislature, and vested exclusively in the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate.

The judges of the Supreme Court hold office until they are removed by a resolution passed by both houses of the Assembly, and voted for by a majority of the members elected to each house. The Court of Common Pleas in each of the five counties is held by a single judge of the Supreme Court. The associate judges of the Supreme Court divide this duty among themselves.

Newport County, Wm. D. Lake, Newport; Providence County, Elias Nickerson, Providence; Washington County, George H. Olney, Brand's Iron-Works; Bristol County, Stephen Johnson, Bristol; Kent County, Joseph Taylor.

FINANCES

The repairs of State Prison, Court-Houses, and various other expenses, are included in accounts allowed by Legislature. The State has no debt. There are about $40,000 of disputed Revolutionary claims which are sometimes called the old State debt. The Public Deposit Fund amounts to $382,335.23, and the Touro Jewish Synagogue Fund to $18,197.13. The valuation of the State by a committee of the Legislature appointed therefor in May, 1855, was, Providence County, $78,531,807; Newport County, $14,329,548; Washing. ton County, $6,402,496; Kent County, $6,168,630; Bristol County, $5,739,693. Total, $111,175,174.

Banks in Rhode Island. The condition of the 55 banks out of Providence, November 23, 1857, was as follows, to wit: - Capital, $ 6,052,660. Circulation, $ 1,744,106. Deposits, $760,627. Due other banks, $125,792. Loans, $7,844,520. Specie, $127,521. Bills of other banks, $122,874. Deposits in other banks, $ 412,716. The 38 banks in Providence make their returns weekly. Their Capital Stock is $ 14,508,400. The following table indicates their movements. The Rhode Island banks suspended specie payments October, 1857.

Date.

1857. September 28, October 12, October 26, November November 23,

1,959,395 1,925,142 1,194,967 18,480,161 241,906 831.690 637,419 1,991.612 2,032,691 1,226,360 18,343,926 334,283 727,813 874,811 1,917,578 2,140,570 1,249,797 18,539,903 331,106 621,100 865,153 1,836,107 2,348,316 1,279,129 18,585,382 353,295 664,092 878,736 1,811,696 2,213,619 1,318,421| 18,383,142 388,397 730,393 887,391|

Savings Banks. In the 18 institutions for savings, May 2, 1857, there were:- Depositors. 23,170; amount of deposits, $ 6,147,576.22. These institutions divide on an average 6 per cent per annum. The largest amount due any one depositor was $12,007.04. The increase since October, 1855, is as follows; in number of banks, 3; number of depositors, 4,941; in amount of deposits, $1,313,264.22.

Public Schools.-The State has a permanent School Fund, actually invested, of $73,894.38.. The interest of the State's part of the United States surplus revenue (commonly called the Deposit Fund), and the proceeds of the militia commutation tax in each town, are appropri.. ated to the public schools. $50,000 are annually paid from the State treasury for schools. Number of school districts in the State, April 30, 1856, the date of the last published report, was 336; number of school-houses, 400; expended for building or repairing school-housess during the year, $33,031.50; number of children between 6 and 15, 30,749; whole number of scholars "due to public schools," 35,902; number of registered scholars, 27,130, -11,078 males and 10,968 females; average attendance, 16,300; number of scholars attending sum mer schools, 22,046; number between 6 and 15 not attending any school, 6,863; number attending winter schools, 15,945, -8,424 boys, 7,521 girls; average attendance, 12,146. Number of male teachers in summer schools, 89; of female, 412; in winter schools, - males, 270; females, 310. Average monthly wages of teachers, including board, males nearly $34, females nearly $20. Amount apportioned from the State to towns, $49,996; amount raised by towns, $79,740; whole amount from all sources, $151,843. Expended, exclusive of school-houses, $ 148,347. Cost per scholar attending school, $ 5.47. A State Normal School was established at Providence in May, 1854. Number of pupils to December 31, 1856, 286. Average attendance, 66. Teachers' Institutes are annually held in different parts of the State, supported by the State.

State Prison, Providence.-S. L. Blaisdell, Warden; salary, $1,050. The number of prisoners, January 1, 1856, was 62; committed to December 31, 1856, 14; whole number

during the year, 76. Discharged by expiration of sentence, 19; by pardon, 2; by death, 1; leaving in prison, December 31, 1856, 54. The whole number of convicts since the establishment of the institution, in 1833, to January 1, 1857, was 268. Discharged by expiration of sentence, 129; by pardon, 67; 13 died, and 5 escaped. Of this whole number 113 were natives of Rhode Island, 39 of Massachusetts, 18 of New York, 24 of other of the United States, 15 of England, 45 of Ireland, and 14 of other foreign places. 260 were males, 8 females; 234 whites, 34 blacks. The State prison now more than supports itself. The jail is an expense to the State of about $3,500 yearly. The convicts in the State prison are principally employed at cabinet-work; those in the Providence County jail in shoemaking. The average number of persons in Providence jail at the suit of the State is 103; at the suit of the city, 6; debtors, 4; U. S. witness, 1. During the year 1,204 were committed on sentence by the State, of whom 1,011 (905 males and 106 females) were for drunkenness, 84 for assault, and 66 for theft. 501 were committed to jail for debt during the year.

Butler Hospital for the Insane, Providence, R. I.— Dr. Isaac Ray, Superintendent. On the 31st of December, 1855, there were in the Hospital 137 patients, -61. males and 76 females. Admitted during the year, 59; -38 males, 21 females; whole number during the year, 196. Discharged, 53, -29 males, 24 females; leaving in the Hospital, December 31, 1856, 143 patients, -70 males, 73 females. Of those discharged, 14 had recovered, 18 were improved, 5 were unimproved, and 16 died. The disbursements during the year were $26,752.84; the receipts were $ 29,038.52. The minimum price of board for patients is $3 per week. The Hospital can accommodate about 145 patients. The State now makes an appropriation of $1,500 per annum to enable the Governor to' aid the poor insane persons at the Butler Hospital, and it also pays a portion of the expenses of such poor insane as the towns may choose to send there. Since the opening of the institution in 1848, 778 have been admitted and 635 discharged, of whom 245 were recovered, 201 improved, 41 unim proved, and 148 died.

"

Deaf, Dumb, &c. -The sum of $2,500 is appropriated annually to the deaf, dumb, and blind, and idiots are included in its benefits. The State beneficiaries among the deaf and dumb, 10 in number, are sent to the American Asylum at Hartford; those of the blind, 3 in number, are sent to the Perkins Institution at South Boston; 4 indigent idiots, to other institutions out of the State. 9 persons (up to May 1, 1857), exclusive of those in the Butler Hospital, have received the benefits of the State appropriation for idiots and imbeciles. Providence Reform School. - Eleazer M. Cushman, Superintendent. This School was established in 1850, and was opened to receive inmates, Nov. 1, 1850. From that date to Nov. 30, 1856, there were committed, 479, -392 boys, 87 girls. There were in the School, Nov. 30, 1856, 143, - 99 boys and 44 girls; admitted during the year, 87, -61 boys and 26 #girls. Discharged during the year, 73 boys and 13 girls. Of the 87 admitted during the year, 21 were committed for theft, 5 for assault, 27 for vagrancy, 5 for intoxication, 6 for safe-keeping. 68 were born in the United States, and of these 49 were born in Rhode Island. The expenses of the institution for the year were $18,914.55. 7 hours in each day, except Sundays, are devoted to labor; 5 to school exercises; 2 to meals and recreation; 1 to religious exercises; and 8 to sleep. Their labor has been employed in making such articles as are needed in the institution, and in housework. An arrangement is made by the State by which all juvenile delinquents may be sent to this school.

Births, Marriages, and Deaths. —According to the Fourth Registration Report for the year ending December 31, 1856, which has been carefully prepared by Dr. Charles W. Parsons of Providence, the number of births was 2,906 (males 1,479, females 1,407, 20 sex unknown). 1,481 were of American parentage, 1,124 of foreign, and 162 of mixed. Number of marriages 1,535, of which 929 were between Americans, 438 between foreigners, and 150 between Americans and foreigners. Whole number of deaths 2,042 (1,020 males, 987 females, and 35 sex unknown). Of these 1,641 wero Americans (825 males, 816 females), and 320 were foreigners (170 males and 150 females). The average age of all the deaths was 26.62. The causes of death were:- Apoplexy, 39; inflammation of bowels, 14; affections of brain, 49; bronchitis, 5; cancer, 26; child-birth, 14; cholera infantum, 77; consumption, 300; convulsion, 64; croup, 62; delirium tremens, 5; diar

rhoea, 34; dropsy, 61; dysentery, 51; erysipelas, 12; typhus fever, 53; heart disease, 41; whooping-cough, 19; hydrocephalus, 47; insanity, 14; marasmus, 51; old age, 76; pneumonia, 109; scarlatina, 208; small-pox and varioloid, 9; suicide, 4; teething, 15. The city registrar of Providence, Edwin M. Snow, M. D., has prepared the Second Annual Report on the Births, Marriages, and Deaths in the city of Providence for the year 1856, with his usual caro, clearness, and system. The statistics for Providence are included among thoso of the Stato given above, and only a few items are hero given. There were 1,675 births (891 males and 784 females, - 705 of American parentage, 857 of foreign, and 113 of mixed). Number of marriages, 656. Number of deaths, 1,065 (552 males, 513 females,-541 of American parentage, 524 of foreign). Estimated total population in 1856, 49,152; population in July, 1855, 47,785.

Capitals, Hartford and New Haven. Area, 4,750 sq. m. Population, 1850, 370,792. Government for the Year ending on the 1st Wednesday in May, 1858.

The Legislature at its May session, 1855, established two distinct courts, the "Supreme Court of Errors," and the "Superior Court," and abolished

* These judges form the Supreme Court.

2,000

Reporter,

550

the County Courts. The Supreme Court of Errors is now to consist of three of the present judges of that Court, to be selected by themselves, and the Superior Court to consist of six judges. Each of the present four judges of the Supreme Court of Errors (Storrs, Hinman, Ellsworth, and Sanford) is a judge of the Superior Court also, and five judges of the Superior Court (Butler, Seymour, Waldo, Park, and McCurdy) have been recently appointed. Those who are selected to act as judges of the Supreme Court of Errors do not act as judges of the Superior Court, and the remaining judge of the Supreme Court of Errors officiates as a judge of the Superior Court. When a vacancy occurs in the Supreme Court of Errors, there will be only the requisite number of judges of that Court, and a new judge will be appointed to the Superior Court. Two judges constitute a quorum of the Supreme Court of Errors for the transaction of business, and two terms of the court are held annually in each county. The terms of the Superior Court are held by one judge, except for the trial of capital offences, and as often as four times a year in each county. Any judge may hold special terms of this court, but cannot at such term proceed to the trial or determination of any cause unless the parties consent thereto. A legal verdict may be found by any number of jurors, not less than nine, in any civil cause in which the parties so agree in writing before the verdict is rendered. The judges of this court appoint a State's Attorney in each county, and may remove him for cause. The judges of both courts are appointed by the concurrent vote of the Senate and House, and in all cases shall be chosen by ballot, and those appointed in 1855 and since hold office for eight years; those previously appointed hold until seventy years of age. In the trial of capital cases, the court is held by a judge of the Supreme Court of Errors, who presides, and by a judge of the Superior Court. The same act establishes some new rules of practice in civil cases.

The Clerks of the Superior Court, who are ex officio Clerks of the Supreme Court of Errors in the several counties, are as follows: