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Rh 288 CONNECTICUT in 1827, is inadequate to the needs of the State, having, in March 1876, 40 more prisoners than cells, viz., 252 prisoners. Its income in 1875 was $25,539, and payments $28,414, the deficit being due to the recent decrease in the demand for convict labour. The punishments are solitary confinement, fetters, and shackles. The warder may deduct five days from the term of imprisonment for good behaviour. Schools were begun in New Haven in 1640. The provision and regulation of schools rested with the towns till 1712 ; with towns and parishes together till 1798 ; with parishes alone till 1856, when the towns were restored to their original place in the system. Though school districts existed in 1725, and were legalized in 1766, they were not fully endowed corporate bodies till 1839. Schools have been maintained in three ways, by taxes, by tuition fees or rate bills, and by the income of invested funds. Taxes were a source of income from the beginning to 1821, and were restored in 1854. Rate bills were not discontinued till 1868. Local school funds were begun towards the close of the 17th century, and in creased by sales of land in 1733, and by excise on liquors, tea, &c., authorized by Acts of May 1766 and October 1774. The State school fund was begun in 1795, it being the money procured by the sale of lands granted by Charles II. in 1662, and described as &quot;from Narrogancett Bay on the east to the South Sea on the west.&quot; This was, in fact, a strip of land 70 miles wide, and run ning one-eighth of the circumference of the globe. Subsequently, this being found to interfere with other colonial grants, all this territory was given up, save portions in New York and Ohio. The land was sold for $1,200,000; the fund, however, has increased, and at September 1, 1874, was $2,044,266 ; the dividend per child has varied from $1, 50 to $1 per year, decreasing with the increase of population ; the fund is almost wholly invested in real estate mortgages at 7 per cent. Another fund, the entire income of which since 1855 has been devoted to schools, is the Town Deposit Fund. The 24th Congress of 1835-6 voted to deposit the surplus revenue of the Union, then on hand, with the different States in proportion to their national representation. Connecticut received $764,670, which was divided among the towns according to their population in 1830 ; the present income from this is about $46,000 a year. (While Connecticut has preserved this fund almost intact, in other States it has been squandered or lost.) At present, aside from the income of these funds, the maintenance of the schools is provided for by these taxes : the town tax, which must be sufficient to maintain 30 weeks of school in the larger, and 24 in the smaller districts ; the district tax to provide for buildings and repairs, or any deficit ; and the State appropriation of 1, 50 per child per year, In 1865 a State Board of Education was established, whose secretary is Superintendent of Public Instruc tion. The following are statistics for the year ending August 31, 1875: Districts, 1506 ; public schools, 1650; children from four to sixteen (on January 1, 1875), 134,976, of whom 95 per cent, attended school. Average length of school, 176 days. Teachers: males, 721 ; females, 1910. Average pay per month : males, $70 ; females, $39, Income of public schools from all sources, $1,592,858. Pro vision for higher education is made by various private and endowed schools, but is by no means complete. The State Normal School at New Britain was opened in 1850 ; the, annual State grant is $12,000, and it graduates about 100 pupils a year. In 1870 there were in the State 29 academies and seminaries, with 127 instructors, 1602 pupils, and 8000 volumes in their libraries. There are three colleges. Yale College (Congregational), in New Haven, was established in 1701 by the ten foremost ministers of the colony; in 1876 it had 90 instructors, nearly 1100 students in all departments, and 101,000 volumes in the libraries ; its productive funds were aboiit $1,500,000, and its property $5,000,000. Besides its classical course, it has faculties and schools of theology, law, medicine, fine arts, together with the very prosperous Sheffield Scientific School, and several post-graduate courses of study. Trinity (formerly Washington) College, at Hartford, was founded in 1823 by Episco palians ; its property is about $1,000,000, a considerable portion of which is in productive funds ; it has about 20 instructors, 90 students, and 16, 000 volumes in its library. Wesleyan University (Methodist) at Middletown was founded in 1831 ; property in 1875, $400,000; income, $47,000; instructors, 15; students, 190; library, 27,000 volumes ; women were admitted in 1872. There is a theological institute (Congregational) at Hartford, and the Berkeley Divinity School (Episcopal) is at Middletown. In 1870 the State had 64 public libraries, with 285,937 volumes ; these receive State aid. There are several valuable private libraries relating to American subjects at Hartford. The newspapers and periodicals numbered 71, circulating 203,725, and issuing annually 17,454,740 copies. There were 827 religious organizations, having 902 edifices, with 338,735 sittings, and property worth $13,428,109. The Congrcga- tionalist is by far the most numerous and wealthy denomination, followed by Episcopalians, Methodists, Baptists, and Roman Catholics. Government. Connecticut is represented in the National Congress by two senators and four representatives, and has now six votes in the Presidential electoral college. The State constitution provides distinct executive, legislative, and judicial powers. The chief officer, or governor, must be over thirty years of age. A majority vote in each house of the legislature carries a bill over his veto. His salary is $2000. The legislature, or General Assembly, consists of a senate and house of representatives, and meets annually on the Wednesday after the first Monday in January. The senate consists of not less than 21, or more than 24, mem bers from districts determined by the General Assembly according to population. The representatives are two from each town incorporated before 1785 or having over 5000 inhabitants, and one from every other. The senators now number 18, the representatives 244. Each legislator is paid $300 a year. There is much special and excessive legis lation. All elections are by ballot. &quot;Representatives are elected annually, and the general State officers and senators biennially, on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Any male citizen of the United States, aged twenty-one, who shall have resided in the State one year, and in the town where he offers to vote, six months, and who can read any article of the constitution, is entitled to vote. The pardoning power is vested in the Assembly. The judicial power is vested in the following courts : A supreme court of errors, consisting of a chief and four associates; a superior court, consisting of six judges, together with the five of the court of errors. These are all chosen for eight years by the Assembly, but are dis qualified on attaining the age of seventy. They may be removed by impeachment, or by the governor on a two- thirds address of each house. Their salary is $4000 each. There are also five courts of common pleas, presided over by a single judge, chosen for four years by the Assembly, with a salary of $2500. There are inferior courts in certain cities and boroughs, with judges chosen biennially by the Assembly. Numerous justices of the peace are elected biennially by the people of the towns where they live. Probate courts are held in each district, of which there are 113; the judges are elected biennially by the people. A somewhat faulty revision of the General Statutes of the State was made in 1875. A peculiarity of the State is that, when cities are formed, they still remain (frequently) parts of towns, and have a double government. The State militia embraced, in 1875, 2636 men, though those liable to serve (viz., between the ages of eighteen and forty-five) numbered 62,103. The governor is Com mander-in-chief, and under him are a brigadier-general and staff and field officers. The brigade comprises four regiments of infantry (one from each congressional district) and one section of light artillery. Two regiments go into encampment for a week, and the other two have a full parade each year. The arms of the State are three vines in fruit 2 and 1, all proper with the motto, &quot; Qui transtulit sustinet.&quot; History. The Dutch first explored the country in 1620, but made no settlement till 1633. Then they settled at Hartford, buying of the Pequot Indians, but selling soon after to the English. James I. granted the first English patent to all New England, in 1620, to Lord Say-and-Seal and others. In 1634-36 permanent settlements were made at Hartford, Wethersfield, and Windsor by companies from Massachusetts under a patent from the Plymouth colony, covering the present State and also portions of llhode Island, Massachusetts, Long Island, and an undefined territory to the west. In 1637 these towns organized an independent government, declared war against the Pequots, and, under Captain J. Mason, nearly destroyed the tribes. In 1638 New Haven and vicinity was settled by au English company under Rev. J. Davenport and Governor Eaton. This colony was united to Connecticut in 1662,