from 30 to 40, 47; from 40 to 50, 36; from 50 to 60, 11; over 60, 3. 9 prisoners are committed for life, 1 for 36 years, and 116 for terms of two years or less. 69 have no education, 48 can read only, 120 can read and write, and 14 have a common English education. 92 are married, 12 are widowers, and 147 are single. 98 are intemperate, 94 moderate drinkers, and 59 temperate. 45 are natives of Indiana, 60 of foreign countries, and the remainder of other States. 234 are whites, and 17 (including 1 female) are blacks. 202 are committed for offences against property, and 48 for offences against the person, and I for an offence against the person and property. Common Schools. The constitution provides that the "Common School Fund shall consist of the Congressional Township Fund and the lands belonging thereto, of the Surplus Revenue, Saline, and Bank Tax Funds, the fund to be derived from the sale of county seminaries, and moneys and property heretofore held for such seminaries, all fines, forfeitures, and escheats, and lands not otherwise specially granted, including the net proceeds of the sales of the swamp lands granted to the State by the act of Congress of September 28, 1850. The principal of the fund may be increased, but shall never be diminished, and its income shall be devoted solely to the support of common schools. The Assembly shall provide for the election by the people of a Superintendent of Public Instruction, to hold office for two years." The number of townships reported is 938; number of cities and incorporated towns, 82; whole number of school corporations, 1,020; number of children reported between 5 and 21, 430,925; number of traders returned as licensed, 2,491. School Fund. - The amount of permanent School Fund derived from the Congressional Township Fund, the Surplus Revenue, Saline, Bank Tax, and Seminary Funds and unclaimed fees is $2,460,609. The amount expected from the Sinking Fund, due in 1857, is about $1,500,000. Of this, $781,171 are already paid into the State Treasury, and will be, until refunded from the general fund and the School Fund, on interest at six per cent. This interest is not paid annually and distributed, but is permitted to accumulate, and amounted, October 31, 1853, to nearly $300,000. There are besides school lands, seminary property, and swamp lands, the proceeds of the sales of which will go to the common fund. In addition to this sum, the fund is augmented by the receipt of fines and forfeitures, escheats and corporation taxes, to an amount which will exceed $ 5,000,000. Banking.- Under the law of 1852, "to authorize and regulate the business of general banking," up to December 31, 1853, twenty-nine banks have been organized with a nominal capital of $6,850,000, and have deposited securities for the redemption of their bills to the amount of $3,096,282. They had issued notes to the amount of $3,025,156. The condition of the free banks, December 31, 1853, is thus: capital, $3,404,445; discounts, $821,618; real estate, $35,297; specie, $442,957; bills of exchange and remittances, $1,341,571; debts due, $1,020,768; stocks deposited with auditor, $3,257,064; circulation, $3,167,547 ; depositors, $1,035,236; due other banks, $241,393; dividends, $ 199,526. The general condition of the State bank and branches, October 31, 1853, was as follows: bills of exchange and discounts, $5,037,394; property and debts due, $1,483,818; specie, $1,377,805; capital, $2,150,107; circulation, $3,834,765; depositors, $716,049; other debts, $489,713; surplus fund, $979,199. The charter of the bank expires December 31, 1856. JOEL A. MATTESON, of Will Co., Governor, and ex officio Land Salary. Commissioner (term ends 2d Monday in January, 1857), $1,500 Gustavus Koerner, of St. Clair Co., Lieutenant-Governor, $3 a day during [session, and 10 cents a mile travel. Alexander Starne, of Pike Co., Secretary of State, (exclusive of clerk hire) Thomas H. Campbell, of Springfield, [Fees and 800. Auditor, (excl. of clerk hire) 1,000 John Moore, of Randolph Grove, Treasurer, (excl. of clerk hire) $800 State Superintendent of Common Schools. Ninian W. Edwards, This court holds one session in each Division of the State each year. The terms are, 1st Division, at Mt. Vernon, Jefferson Co., on the 2d Monday in November; 2d Division, at Springfield, on the 3d Monday in December; 3d Division, at Ottawa, La Salle Co., on the 1st Monday of February. 1st Circuit, David M. Woodson, 2d 66 Wm. H. Underwood, of Benton, Salary. Circuit Courts. 4th 66 Justin Harlan, Cook County Common Pleas, John M. Wilson, Judge, $1,000 and Fees. This court has concurrent jurisdiction with the Circuit Court and Common Pleas in all criminal cases except murder and treason; it has original jurisdiction in civil cases where the amount does not exceed $ 100, and all appeals from justices in the city are taken to this court. FINANCES. The debt of the State, principal and interest, including the balance of $1,600,000 on the Canal loan, was, January 1, 1853, $ 16,724.177.41. During the two years ending Nov. 30, 1852, the receipts on account of the constitutional tax for the payment of the State debt were $492,166 53, which, with the balance on hand Dec. 1, 1850, $165,788.81, makes $657,955.34, applicable to distribution upon the principal of the State indebtedness. $395,467.96 had at that date been applied, and $262,487.38 were subject to distribution January 1, 1853. The receipts into the Treasury for the two years ending Novem. ber 30, 1852, chiefly from taxes, were. Add balance in the Treasury, Dec. 1, 1850, The expenditures for the same period were: Ordinary expenses of the government, Special appropriations and expenditures, School Fund, Old warrants, $503,561.68 $532,140.09 138,619.31 125,211.55 113,693.38 8,243.29 The receipts for the two years exceeded the disbursements, being balance in the The amount of interest fund tax received for the same period was 385,767.53 $146,372.56 400,515.39 335,801.16 The amount of property subject to taxation in 1850 was, real estate, $86,512,537; personal property, $33,335,798; total, $119,848,335. Rate of taxation 58 cents on the $ 100. In 1851, real estate $98,748,533. Personal property, $39,069,546. Total, $137,818,079. Rate of taxation, 60 cents on the $100. Banks. - November 1, 1852. Seventeen banks have completed their organization under the general banking law. Their aggregate capital is $8,460.000; value of stocks deposited with the Auditor, $1,142,544; amount of circulating notes, $1,129,622. Sixteen banks have filed certificates, but not deposited stocks, and seven have filed certificates and been since abandoned by the stockholders. Common Schools, -Amount of funds devoted to Common Schools, December 31, 1852:Three per cent. on net proceeds of public lands (except one sixth), $463,490.93 Surplus revenue from the United States, 335,592.32 $799,083.25 There are besides : The College Fund, being one sixth of the three per cent. fund, $92,682.10 59,738.72 152,420.82 Making, devoted to purposes of education, The whole of this sum has been borrowed or appropriated by the State, and devoted to pay the current expenses of the government. The State pays six per cent. interest on the amount. The interest of the Common School Fund for 1852 was $56,888, which, except of 1 per cent. paid to the Deaf and Dumb Asylum, was divided among the several counties, in proportion to the number of white children under the age of 21. Beside this State fund, there are county and township funds. The value of the county funds is estimated at $ 50,000; of the township funds, $2,371,592; which would make a total principal of $ 3,373,096. The interest on the State fund is at 6 per cent.; on county and township funds, at 10 per cent.; making total interest, $299,047. Raised by ad valorem tax in 46 counties, $51,101. In the 72 counties that made returns for the year 1852, there were 3,504 organized districts,3,076 school-houses, and 78 district libraries. Amount of public money paid for teachers' wages, $113,500; amount paid, besides public money, $ 197,306. Number of schools, 3,966; taught by males, 2,397; by females, 1,569; children taught, 139,255; average length of schools (in months), 6.75; average monthly wages of male teachers, $ 17.64; of females, $10.32. Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, Jacksonville. -Thomas Officer, Principal. Number of pupils during the term, 109, of whom 94 were from Illinois. The annual expenses of the institution are about $19,000. By the act of February 17, 1851, a geological survey of the State was authorized, and in July of that year Mr. J. G. Norwood was appointed State Geologist. He has organized a corps of assistants, and been since engaged in the prosecution of the survey. XXVIII. MISSOURI. Government for the Year 1855. STERLING PRICE, of Chariton Co., Governor, Wilson Brown, Term ends. Salary. Dec. 1856, $2,000 [and a furnished house. of Cape Girardeau, Lieut.-Governor, 1856. of Jefferson City, 1,800 900 & fees. 1,750 Andrew M. Elston, of Jefferson City, Most of the above officers are required to live during their term at Jefferson City. The Lieutenant-Governor is ex officio President of the Senate, and receives $4.50 a day while presiding. The pay of the Speaker of the House of Representatives is the same. Senators are chosen every fourth, and Representatives every second year. Their pay is $3 a day for the first sixty days, and after that time $1 per day, except at a revising session, when they may receive $3 per day for 100 days, and $1 for the remainder of the session. The Legislature meets at the city of Jefferson, biennially, on the last Monday in December. The judges of this court are now elected for the term of six years by the qualified voters of the State. They are re-eligible at the expiration of their present term. Two sessions of the Supreme Court are held annually, one at Jefferson City and one at St. Louis. The Attorney-General is ex officio Reporter of the Decisions of the Court. George W. Miller, 1st Circuit, $1,250 J. B. Gardenhire, Judges. Waldo P. Johnson, 7th Circuit, $1,250 B. H. Emerson, $250 and fees. 11th 1,250 R. D. Morrison, 250 66 1,250 James Craig, 250 1,250 John T. Coffee, 250 250 66 1,250 John R. Woodside, James A. Clarke, Elijah R. Norton, 12th Charles S. Yancy, 13th Daniel M. Leet, 14th 66 A Circuit Court is held twice a year in each county. Its jurisdiction extends to all matters of tort and contract over $90, where the demand is liquidated, and over $50 where the agreement is parol. It has exclusive criminal jurisdiction, and a supervision over the County Courts and justices of the peace, subject to the correction of the Supreme Court. The judges of the Circuit Court are elected by the qualified voters of their respective districts; and for the term of six years. In addition to the Circuit and County Courts, St. Louis has a Court of Common Pleas, with a jurisdiction very similar to the Circuit Court, a Criminal Court, a distinct Court of Probate, a Recorder's Court, and a Land Court, having sole jurisdiction in St. Louis County in suits respecting lands, actions of ejectment, dower, partition, &c. The judges of the Circuit and Criminal Court are elected in the same manner and for the same term as the circuit judges. These are local tribunals, exercising jurisdiction only in their counties, except the Recorder's Court, whose jurisdiction is confined to small offences and within the limits of the city. From the Court of Common Pleas and Criminal Court, an appeal lies to the Supreme Court; and the judges of the Common Pleas are appointed like the circuit judges, with like tenures. The probate judge is elected by the people of the county for four years, and the Recorder by the people of the City of St. Louis, for two years. County Courts. The jurisdiction of these courts is limited to matters of probate and local county affairs, as roads, &c. A County Court sits in each county, and is composed of three justices, who are elected by the people, and hold their offices for four years. Their pay is $2 a day while in session. An appeal lies to the Circuit Court. The County Court of St. Louis County is composed of seven judges. They are relieved from probate duties by the separate court above mentioned. |