Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume III.djvu/616

 610 CALIFORNIA court for San Francisco co., and a criminal court for the city of San Francisco; the judge of the latter is elected for four years. All property, hoth real and personal, of the wife before marriage, and that acquired by her after marriage, is by the laws of the state her sole and separate property ; but the earnings of both wife and husband are common property, except that the earnings of the former are not liable for the debts of the latter. When sepa- rate and apart from her husband, the earnings of the wife and those of minor children with her are hers, and she may sue and be sued alone, and convey alone by leave of the court, and married women may dispose of their sepa- rate estate by will. A homestead not exceed- ing $5,000 in value belonging to a head of family, or $1,000 to a single person, is exempt from levy on execution. Treason and murder in the first degree may be punished with death ; murder in the second degree and robbery from the person with imprisonment from ten years to life ; manslaughter, not more than ten years ; killing in a duel, one to seven years ; mayhem, not over 14 years ; rape, from five years to life ; arson, one year to life; forgery and perjury, one to 14 years. Indians and Chinese are pro- hibited from giving evidence in court for or against whites. The immigration of Chinese is discouraged, and special taxes are imposed upon them. Any rate of interest may be legally stipulated for ; in the absence of special agreement, the rate is 10 per cent. California has four representatives and two senators in congress, and is therefore entitled to six votes in the electoral college. The laws of the state have recently been revised and arranged under a civil code, political code, code of civil proce- dure, and penal code, which have been ap- proved by the legislature. The total debt of the state in 1861 amounted to $4,621,212, and in 1871 was reported by the state treasurer as follows: FUNDED DEBT. Bonds of 18ST $2,162,000 00 Bonds of 1800 125,000 00 Soldiers' bounty bonds 605,000 00 Soldiers' relief bonds 849,500 00 State capital bonds 250,000 00 Total funded debt $3,491,500 00 Warrants outstanding 155,84700 Grand total, June 80, 18T1 $3,646,847 00 According to the federal census of 1870, the public debt of counties amounted to $13,817,- 711, and of towns, cities, &c., $842,344. The total receipts into the state treasury during the fiscal year were $3,508,164; of which $2,166,- 923 were from direct taxes, $34,113 from li- censes, $514,003 from lands, $166,795 from stamps, $57,196 from commissioners of immi- gration, $24,756 from fees, $191,278 from har- bor commissioners, $244,000 from school fund, $39,250 from insurance companies, and $69,850 from miscellaneous sources. The total dis- bursements from the state treasury were $3,- 814,037 ; of which $81,659 were for the execu- tive department, $277,939 for legislative ex- penses, $120,809 for the judiciary, $30,232 for state library, $65,000 for printing, $108,410 for state prison, $189,597 for asylum for insane, $54,500 for deaf, dumb, and blind, $11,030 for industrial school, $503,067 for educational pur- poses and schools, $125,050 for charitable pur- poses, $78,779 for lands, $30,128 for encour- agement of manufactures and agriculture, $273,531 for state capitol, $89,611 for wharves and docks, $235,210 for sea wall, $325,448 for school fund, $371,542 for interest, $538,862 for redemption of state debt, $25,000 for geological survey, $40,562 for military purposes, $50,000 for legal tenders, and $188,071 for miscellane- ous purposes. The total taxation not national was : state, $2,540,383 ; county, $5,068,041 ; town, city, &c., $208,691 ; total, $7,817,115. The assessed value of real estate was $176,- 527,160; of personal estate, $93,116,903; total, $269,644,068; true value of real and personal estate $638,767,017. The internal revenue col- lections in 1871 were $3,606,921. The advance in the assessed value of property in ten years is shown in the following statement: 1861, $147,811,61716; 1862, $160,369,071 81; 1863, $174,104,95507; 1864, $180,484,949 85; 1865, $183,509,161 00; 1866, $200,764,135 50; 1867, $212,205,339 01 ; 1868, $237,483,175 07 ; 1869, $260,563,88608; 1870, $277,538,134 97. A state lunatic asylum was established at Stock- ton by act of the legislature in 1853 ; the build- ings are commodious and well arranged, with 100 acres of ground handsomely laid out; the number of patients, Oct. 1, 187.1, was 1,090, of whom 304 were females ; 523 were received during the year, of whom 333 were foreigners. The recoveries are about 47 per cent, of the admissions, and the deaths about 10 per cent, of the whole number treated. The total expen- ditures for the two years ending Oct. 1, 1871, amounted to $414,162. A state institution for deaf, dumb, and blind was established at Oak- land in 1868. The building, which is 194 by 148 ft., is erected upon a tract of 135 acres. The number of deaf and dumb receiving in- struction in 1871 was 65, of whom 26 were fe- males ; number of instructors, 3 ; annual ex- penditure, $158,098; number of blind, 33; in- structors and other employees, 19; number of blind admitted since the opening, 66 ; average annual expenditure for five years, $57,000. A state industrial school was established in San Francisco in 1858, for children of the criminal class; the number of inmates Oct. 1, 1871, was 244, of whom 207 were boys and 37 girls. The state prison is at San Quentin, 12 m. from San Francisco. It contains 453 cells, each 7 ft. long, 4| wide, and 7 high. In 1871 the num- ber of officers and employees was 51 ; prison- ers, 880, of whom 6 were females, 477 native born, and 403 foreigners. The prisoners are employed in cabinet-making, cooperage, brick- making, and harness-making. Instruction is ftiven in the elementary branches. There is a hospital fund provided by the state, which is ap-