At the election in November, 1860, the people decided, by their vote, to have a convention to amend the present Constitution or make a new one. The convention will probably meet in 1861. 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 Tuesday after second Monday in November; 2d Division, at Springfield, on the Tuesday after first Monday in January; 3d Division, at Ottawa, La Salle Co., on the Tuesday after third Monday in April. Circuit Courts.* Residence. Salary. Circ. Judge. Residence. Salary. Greene Co., $1,000 14 B. R. Sheldon, Jo Daviess Co.,$1,000 2 H K.S. Omelveny, Marion Hancock 18 Edw. Y. Rice, Montgomery " 66 15 Jos. Sibley, 16 Elihu N. Powell, Peoria 17 Chas. Emerson, Macon Cook McLean La Salle Mercer Wayne "" 66 20 Chas. R. Starr, Kaukakee Salary. $1,000 and fees. Van H. Higgins, of The Superior Court of Chicago has concurrent jurisdiction in the county and city respectively with the Circuit Court in all civil cases, and in all criminal cases except murder and treason. The Recorders' Court (Robert 8. Wilson, Judge, and J. K. C. Forrest, Clerk), has jurisdiction in criminal cases, and in civil cases to the amount of $100. Each county has a County Court, with jurisdiction to the same amount as justices of the peace, but their business is chiefly probate matters. *The term of office of the several Judges ends in June, 1861. Their salary is $1,000 each. FINANCES. The indebtedness of the State January, 1859, was as follows: 81 old State bonds, bank and int. improvement stock, Internal improvement scrip, Liquidation bonds, Certificates new internal improvement stock, Deduct State Debt Fund in Treasury Dec. 1, 1858, to be applied to payment of principal, 1,838,433.03 $4,826,650.18 $2,713,113.19 1,468,505.61 4,181,618.80 $9,008,268.98 766,629.48 $8,241,639.50 Certificates interest stock, to draw interest from Jan. 1, 1860, $2,653,814.43 243,000.00 2,896,814.43 11,138,453.93 668,307.24 Total principal, interest stock, and arrears of interest, Upon which the annual interest at 6 per cent is During the years 1857 and 1858 the principal of the public debt has been reduced $1,050,324.13; and the arrears of interest have been reduced $116,552.61; total payments during these years on account of the public debt, $1,166,876.74. The punctual collection of the tax of two mills on the dollar valuation provided by the constitution, for the purchase of the State bonds, has raised the value of those bonds above par. November 30, 1860, the State debt is given at $6,548,167, and the canal debt, $3,557,230; total, $9,105,397. The receipts into the Treasury for revenue purposes from Dec. 1, 1856 to Nov. 30, 1858, Of the receipts, $750,530.24 were from taxes. Some of the principal items of expenditure for the two years were as follows: New Penitentiary, Insane Hospital, Institution for Deaf and Dumb,. The amount of taxable property in the State in the year 1857 was as follows: Personal property, $111,813,908; town lots, $44,398,686; lands, $201,693,234; railroad property, $7,529,703. Total value of real and personal property, $ 407,477,367. The aggregate value for 1856 was $349,951,272; for 1855, $334,398,425. Common Schools. In the year 1858, the whole number of public schools was 10,238; whole number of scholars in attendance, 457,113; being males, 243,859; females, 213.254; number of white persons in the State under 21, 809,879; number between 5 and 21, 470,540; number of colored persons under 21, 2,801; number between 5 and 21, 1,714; number of male teachers, 7,503; of female teachers, 5,878; average monthly wages of male teachers, $29.66, the highest being $200 and the lowest $ 10; average do. of female teachers, $ 19.48, the highest being $60 and the lowest being $5; number of school districts, 8,154; average number of months schools have been taught, 6.83; number of new school-houses erected during the last two years, 2,401; number of Teachers' Institutes held during the year, 38; amount paid to lecturers and instructors of Teachers' Institutes, $ 910; number of school district libraries purchased, 850. The amounts expended for schools during the year 1858 was as follows: Two mill tax apportioned, $ 743,000.00; interest apportioned, $ 50,871.25; amount raised by tax to extend schools after public money was exhausted, $ 563,460; expended for school furniture, $31,810; for building, repairing, and renting school-houses, $ 819,859; for school-house lots, $ 38,627; for school district libraries, $45,900. Total amount expended for school purposes, $2,705,052. The number of private schools reported was 530, with 18,571 scholars. There were reported also in the State 21 colleges and 58 academies and seminaries. The corner-stone of the building for the Normal University was laid at Bloomington in September, 1857. The completion of the building has been delayed by the financial embarrassments of that year. A lot of land of 160 acres has been secured, and the buildings when completed will accommodate 300 normal scholars and 200 model school scholars. Temporary accommodations were obtained, and the school was opened therein in September, 1857. From that time to December, 1858, 127 scholars have been in attendance. Their average age at the time of entering the school was 20.16 years. School Fund. The school fund in December, 1858, was thus made up: School Fund proper, being 3 per cent net proceeds sales of public lands in the State, one sixth part excepted, Surplus revenue, College Fund, being one sixth of 3 per cent fund, . Seminary Fund, proceeds of sales of Seminary lands, Township Funds, $3,335,680; County Funds, $218,653, Total School Funds of the State, $ 555,143.17 335,592.32 111,012.54 50,838.72 3,554,333.00 $4,606,919.75 Illinois Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb. Jacksonville; Philip G. Gillet, Principal. The buildings in this Institution are now used for pupils. They are thoroughly heated by steam, and ventilated, and lighted by gas. During the two years 1857 and 1858 195 pupils were in attendance, 150 being in attendance at the date of the report. The annual expenses of the Institution are $150 to each pupil, and they are borne by the State. Pupils not under ten nor over thirty are admitted without charge if from Illinois, they paying only for clothing and travelling expenses. From other States they are charged $100, required in all cases in advance. The annual session commences first Wednesday in September and continues forty weeks, and pupils, except in extraordinary cases, will not be received unless they come at or about that time. Illinois Institution for the Education of the Blind. - Jacksonville; Joshua Rhoads, M. D., Principal. The number of pupils belonging to the Institution at the date of its fifth biennial report (January, 1859) was 68. The Institution is open to all from Illinois, and the terms for scholars from other States are like those in the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb. The annual term commences the first Wednesday of October in each year. Illinois State Hospital for the Insane. Jacksonville; Andrew McFarland, M. D., Superintendent. The Hospital was opened for the admission of patients in November, 1851. Number of patients admitted to December 1, 1858, 1,017; recovered, 430; improved, 132; discharged as incurable, 134; died, 90; remaining, 229. The institution, when additions in progress are completed, will receive 500 patients. The buildings are heated by steam in the most approved manner, lighted with gas, and provided with complete apparatus for forced ventilation. The farm consists of 160 acres of land, laid out for farming, gardening, recreation, &c. Supported entirely by the State. Annual expense, $36,000. State Penitentiaries.-T. S. Rutherford, Superintendent; Samuel K. Casey, Warden. January 1, 1859, there were 661 convicts. At Alton, 467 males and 3 females; at Joliet, 186 males and 5 females. In Nov. 1859, there were 710 convicts in the two prisons. The new prison at Joliet, was so far completed, that May 22, 1858, 53 convicts were removed from Alton to Joliet. It is expected that the buildings at Joliet will be completed in the spring of 1860, when all the convicts will be removed thither, and the prison at Alton be abandoned. State Census.-The population in 1855 was 1,306,576, being a gain of 455,106 since 1850. IX. INDIANA.* Term expires. Capital, Indianapolis. Area, 33,809 sq. m. Population, 1860, 1,370,802. HENRY S. LANE, Salary. Jan. 1865, $3,000 [and furnished house. Oliver P. Morton, of Centreville, Lieut.-Governor and The salary of each of these Judges is $1,500. Their term of office is six years. For the counties composing several of the circuits, see the American Almanac for 1856, pp. 321, 322. *The Governor, Secretary, Treasurer, and Auditor are required to reside at Indianapolis during their term of office. †There is no 14th Circuit. By some mistake the new circuit was numbered the 15th, and has since retained that designation. I Court of Common Pleas. By the act of March 1, 1859, the State was divided by counties into 21 districts, in each of which, in October, 1860, a judge was elected, and a prosecuting attorney. The judges are elected for four years, and their salaries are $1,000. Three terms of the court are held each year, beginning on the first Monday in January, and on the first Monday of every fourth month thereafter, unless the Circuit Court be in session, and then on the Monday succeeding the term of the Circuit Court. The counties composing the several districts, and the judges and prosecuting officers are given below. The statute above referred to does not number the districts. Counties composing the District. Vigo, Parke, and Sullivan, Marion, Hendricks, and Boone, Harrison, Floyd, Washington, Scott, and Franklin, Fayette, Union, and Wayne, Randolph, Delaware, Jay, and Blackford, Tippecanoe, Benton, White, and Carroll, Amos Lovering, Jeremiah M. Wilson, Gustavus A. Wood, Hamilton, Tipton, Clinton, Howard, and Grant, John Green, Rush, Henry, Hancock, Madison, and Decatur, William Grose, Morgan, Johnson, Shelby, Monroe, and Brown, Frederick T. Brown, Francis Atkinson, John J. Key, R. A. Clements, Sr., Cass, Miami, Fulton, Kosciusko, and Wabash, Kline G. Shryock, Joseph Breckenridge, FINANCES. Balance in the treasury, November 1, 1858, . Total receipts into the treasury for year ending October 31, 1859, Total revenue from all sources, Total warrants on treasury for same period, Balance in treasury, October 1, 1859, John C. Bufkin. John Bott. John C. Whitridge. T. J. Hosford. Lewis C. Pierce. Hiram Stillwell. Wm. R. Haugh. John Barber. $131,342.28 1.288.445.72 $1,419,788.00 1,218,185.64 $201,602.36 In this balance is included a nominal balance due the Wabash and Erie Canal of $28 929,54, and a suspended debt of the Treasury amounting to $104,232.03. Deducting these, the actual balance in the Treasury, November 1, 1859, was $ 68,440.79. |