State Lunatic Asylum, Trenton.-H. A. Buttolph, M. D., Superintendent. The Asylum was opened for the admission of patients, May 15, 1848. January 1, 1856, there were in the Asylum 233 patients (107 males and 126 females). Received during the year, 168 (80 males and 88 females); 133 were discharged; leaving, January 1, 1857, 263 (124 males and 139 females). Of this number 42 are pauper patients, 148 indigent, and 73 private. There were under treatment during the year, 401. Of those discharged, 73 (31 males and 42 females) were recovered; 31 (16 males and 18 females) were improved; 3 were unimproved; and 27 (13 males and 14 females) died. Whole number received at the Asylum 1,064 (513 males and 551 females); discharged recovered, 411 (192 males and 219 females); improved, 216 (103 males and 109 females); unimproved, 31 (15 males and 16 females); escaped, 3 males; died, 140 (71 males and 69 females). The expenses of the Asylum for the year were $ 42,655.97. The receipts, $42,678.78. Excess of receipts, $22.81. Of the receipts, $7,316.34 was from the State. Terms. Board per week, for those supported at public charge, $2; for those supported by friends, $3.50 and upwards, according to the nature of the case and their ability to pay. A bond is required, in the penal sum of $ 500, to pay all charges for board, &c., and also to pay not exceeding $50 for such damages to the property of the Asylum as may be done by the patient. State Prison, Trenton. -R. P. Stoll, Keeper. Number of prisoners, Dec. 31, 1855, 220; received during the year, 121; total, 341. Discharged during the year, by expiration of sentence, 88; by pardon, 53; escaped, 1; in all, 142. Remaining in prison, Dec. 31, 1856, 199; white males, 144, and females, 8; colored males, 43, and females, 4. Of those in confinement, 4 were committed for manslaughter, 1 for murder, 7 for murder in the second degree, 7 for rape, 5 for forgery, 22 for burglary, 29 for larceny, 15 for violent or felonious assaults, and 2 for robbery. 72 were natives of New Jersey, 28 of New York, 23 of Pennsylvania, 9 of other States, and 67 were foreigners. The longest sentence is for 30 years, and 1 is under that sentence; 1 is a fifth-comer, 5 are fourth-comers, 12 are thirdcomers, and 15 are second-comers. There are near 1,100 volumes in the library of the prison, which are distributed among the prisoners once in two weeks. Geological Survey of the State. This was commenced in July, 1854, and was continued during 1855 and 1856. A partial report has been made. Births, Marriages, and Deaths. - Feb. 5, 1857, the Secretary of State transmitted to the Legislature the abstract of the last annual reports upon this subject. They do not appear to be full or accurate. Number of births reported, 13,437 (6,543 males and 6,289 females, 605 sex not reported); of marriages, 3,770; of deaths, 7,172, of which 2,933 were under 5 years of age, and 2 over 100 years of age. IX. PENNSYLVANIA.* Capital, Harrisburg. Area, 47,000 sq. m. Population, 1850, 2,311,786. Term expires. Salary. of Centre Co., Secretary of State, Jan., 1858, 1,700 1,400 * Four amendments to the State Constitution were finally adopted by the people at the October election in 1857, to wit: 1st. (Adopted by vote of 122,658 yeas to 13,653 nays.) The State may, to supply casual deficits or failures in revenue, or to meet expenses not otherwise provided for, contract debts; but their aggregate shall never exceed $750,000. To repel invasion, to suppress insurrection, to defend the State in war, or to redeem the present indebtedness, a larger debt may be incurred. No debt shall be incurred except for the above specified Henry S. Magraw, of Lancaster Co., State Treasurer, of Montgomery Co., Auditor-Gen., of Franklin Co., Surveyor-General, Jacob Fry, Jr., of Berks Co., Henry C. Hickok, of Union Co., Wm. R. DeWitt, Term expires. Salary. 1,400 of Harrisburg, of Beaver Co., of Northumberland, Speaker of the Senate.* Thomas J. Power, David Taggart, J. Lawrence Getz, of Reading, Speaker of the House.* Arnold Plumer, Pres., of Venango Co., Canal January, 1859, George Scott, Nimrod Strickland, of Columbia Co., 1861, Comm. "6 1863, JUDICIARY. All judges are elected by the people. The judges of the Supreme Court are chosen at large, and for a term of fifteen years. The one having the shortest term to serve is chief justice. The resident judges of the several Courts of Common Pleas and other courts of record, and all other judges required to be learned in the law, are elected by the electors of the districts over which they are to preside, and for a term of ten years. The associate justices of the Common Pleas hold their offices for five years. All judges hold office for their term during good behavior. For reasonable cause, though not sufficient grounds for impeachment, the Governor may remove them, upon the address of two thirds of each branch of the Legislature. Any vacancy among the judges arising from any cause is filled by appointment by the Governor, the incumbent holding office until the first Monday in December succeeding the next subsequent general election. During their continuance in office the judges of the Supreme Court must reside within the Commonwealth, and the other judges in the district or county for which they were elected. The District Courts are invested with the civil jurisdiction of the Common Pleas in their respective districts, in all cases exceeding a certain amount. objects. The credit of the State shall not be pledged or lent. The Legislature shall not authorize any county, city, or township, by a vote of its citizens or otherwise, to become a stockholder in, or loan its credit to, any corporation, &c. The Legislature shall, at its first session, creato a sinking fund sufficient to pay the accruing interest on the State debt, and annually to reduce the principal not less than $250,000. 2d. (Vote 117,147 yeas, 21,412 nays.) No new county shall be established with less than 400 square miles. No county shall be divided by a line cutting off more than one tenth of its population, unless the electors thereof by vote assent thereto. 3d. (Vote 114,600 yeas, 20,395 nays.) Has reference to the apportionment of representatives in 1864 and every seventh year after, the number to be 100, to be chosen in districts. 4th. (Vote 118,605 yeas, 14,332 nays.) The Legislature may alter, revoke, or annul any charter of incorporation hereafter granted, if they think it injurious to the public; but it shall be done in such a manner that no injustice shall be done to the corporators. * These were officers at the session of 1857. A new session commences in January, 1858. Supreme Court. G. W. Woodward, of Luzerne Co., Associate Justice, " Walter H. Lowrie, of Allegheny, Chief Justice, 1st Mond. Dec. 1863, $3,000 " 1867, 2,800 Joseph Casey, James Thompson, of Erie Co., Thos. E. Franklin, of Lancaster Co., Attorney-General, Robert Tyler, of Dauphin Co., Reporter of Supreme Prothonotary for the Eastern District, 1872, 2,800 3,000 [and $500 for Clerk hire. District Court for the City and County of Philadelphia. For the sessions of this court, the State is divided into 26 districts. The following is a list of the judges: Districts. 1. Philadelphia, Oswald Thompson, $2,500 1861 Associate Judges, Joseph Allison, Jas. R. Ludlow, each 2,500 22. Monroe, Pike, Wayne, and Carbon, George R. Barrett, 2,000 1865 23. Berks, George Taylor, 2,000 1861 2,000 1861 24. Huntingdon, Blair, and Cambria, Warren J. Woodward,2,000 1866 Amount in treasury and sinking fund for cancellation of six per cent State stocks, interest certificates, &c., Regular annual interest on loans, nearly Add guaranteed interest on internal improvement companies, Total interest for the year, nearly $834,859.75 $40,701,835.25 795,257.28 $ 39,906,577.97 $2,014,349.58 24,517.50 $2,068,867.08 The productive property owned by the State is: Stock in incorporated companies, The State has an unavailable deposit in the United States Bank of And depreciated funds in the treasury, unavailable, lic improvements, $1,943,896.82 Loans, enses of government, Available balance in treasury, November 30, 1856, $1,244,795.42 Principal Items of Expenditure. Commissioners of Sinking Fund, $38,317.00 317,969.11 Interest on loans, itia expenses, sions and gratuities, ritable institutions, mon Schools, Chief Sources of Income. Foreign insurance agencies, Tax on real and personal estate, $1,682,035.21 Interest on loans, 2,006,015.66 Sales of public property, 142,331.22 Fees of the public offices, 253,011.07 Annuity for right of way, The total valuation of the real and personal estate of Pennsylvania taxable for State purposes for the year 1851 was $492,893,829; tax assessed in 1853, $1,685,691.76. The valuation in 1851 was $ 531,731,301, and the tax assessed thereon for that year was $1,619,967.76, and in 1855 and 1856 the valuation and assessment were the same. Number of taxable inhabitants in the State in 1853, 547,191; in 1854, 558,236; in 1855, 565,156; in 1856, 582,185. Banks. There are no returns of the banks in this State, later than those in the table on page 221 of this volume. Common Schools in 1856.- A system of popular education was attempted in Pennsylvania, and a common school fund established, in 1831. The State was not divided into districts for school purposes until 1831, and the act of April 1st of that year is generally considered the first common school law. The act of May 8, 1854, revised the school laws of the State. There is a County Superintendent elected by the school directors of the several districts in the county for three years, who attends specially to the schools in the county, and examines and gives certificates to teachers. The school districts are under the immediate care of the school directors, who report to the county superintendent. Teachers are required to report monthly to the directors, and can have no pay until such report is made. The directors are required to establish in their districts separate schools for mulatto and negro children, when they can be located so as to accommodate twenty pupils; and when so established, and kept open four months in any year, the directors shall not be compelled to admit such pupils into other schools of the district. No district can receive its share of the State appropriation for any year, until its schools have been kept four months in such year. The directors and teachers in each district meet annually before the schools are opened, and determine the school-books to be used during the year, and no others than those thus selected can be used. The county superintendents report to the State Superintendent in June of each year. The effect of this law is visible, and especially in 1857, in the improved condition of the teachers and schools, and in the increased attendance of pupils. By the act of April 18, 1857, the State and school departments were separated, and the appointment by the Governor of a Superintendent of Common Schools to hold office for three years, at a salary of $1,400, was authorized. By the act of May 20, 1857, the St was divided into twelve Normal School Districts, and provision was made for establishin by private subscription, a Normal School in each district. The public attention has be calied to the condition of the school houses in the State, by the publication of the "Penns vania School Architecture," edited by Hon. Thomas H. Burrows. The whole number school districts reported, exclusive of the city and county of Philadelphia, for the year endi June 2d, 1856, was 1,649. The whole number of schools was 10,697. The average num |