Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/865

 PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND PRINCE GEORGE'S 841 KING'S co. PRINCE CO. QUEEN'S. PARTICULARS. Winter. Summer. Winter. Summer. Year. Number of schools open.. 81 84 96 91 167 Number of pu- pils registered Average daily 2,9TO 8,612 4,259 4,531 8,098 attendance. . . 1,765 2,136 2,535 2,555 4,553 Adding Queen's co. to the summer term of the other two, the average daily attendance for the whole island is 9,244, and the number of pu- pils registered 16,236. The number in school some portion of the year is somewhat larger, as many attend only one term. The whole number of teachers employed during the year was 358. The number of school districts is 403. There are several schools among the Acadians in Prince and Queen's counties con- ducted in French. The instruction in most of the schools is elementary, but there are 18 classed as grammar schools. In only a part of these, however, are classics and the higher English branches taught. Prince of "Wales col- lege at Charlottetown, with two professors, is supported by the province, and at the same place are the provincial normal and model schools. The former in 1874 had two instruc- tors and 67 pupils (34 males and 33 females), and the latter one teacher and 129 pupils (46 males and 83 females). The amount expend- ed by the province for educational purposes during the 11 months ending Jan. 1, 1874, was $59,194 83. The principal institutions cf learning not supported by the province are St. Dunstan's college (Roman Catholic) and the Wesleyan Methodist academy at Charlotte- town. The latter, opened in 1871, admits both sexes, and in 1875 had 10 instructors and 250 pupils (50 in the academic department, 50 in the intermediate, 110 in the primary, and 40 in the infant class). The principal library is the legislative at Charlottetown. A semi-weekly and eight weekly newspapers are published, two of the weeklies being issued at Summer- side, the other papers at Charlottetown. In 1871 there were 187 churches, and the number of adherents of the different religious denomi- nations was as follows: Roman Catholics, 40,- 765; Presbyterians, 29,579, of whom 10,976 belonged to the church of Scotland ; Metho- dists, 8,361; Episcopalians, 7,220; Baptists, 4,371 ; Bible Christians, 2,709 ; other denomi- nations, 1,016. The island belonged to France till 1763, when it was ceded to Great Britain. In 1663, with the Magdalen islands, it was granted to Capt. Doublet, a naval officer, for the purpose of establishing a fishery, but no permanent settlement was made. A few per- sons settled on the S. coast in the beginning of the 18th century, and after the cession of Acadia (Nova Scotia) to Great Britain in 1713 families began to arrive from there. In 1752 the population was 1,354, and this number was increased by the arrival of expatriated Acadi- ans to 4,100 in 1763, when most of them aban- doned the island. It was placed by the British under the government of Nova Scotia, and was divided into 67 townships, which were distrib- uted among about 100 army and navy officers and others having claims upon the government, upon certain conditions of settlement and the payment of certain quit rents. In 1768 the inhabitants petitioned for a separate govern- ment, and in 1770 the first governor arrived, though only five proprietors and not more than 150 families were then resident. The first assembly, consisting of 18 members elect- ed for seven years, met in 1773. In 1803 the earl of Selkirk brought out nearly 800 high- landers from Scotland. Responsible govern- ment was introduced in 1851, and in 1873 the province joined the Dominion of Canada. The original name, St. John's island (Fr. Me St. Jean), was changed by an act of the le- gislature, taking effect in 1800, in honor of Prince Edward, duke of Kent, the father of Queen Victoria. The system of land tenure, arising from the original grant of the island, has caused much discontent, most of the pro- prietors being absentees and the greater part of the inhabitants only leaseholders. Since 1854 the government has adopted the policy of purchasing of the proprietors in block and selling in smaller parcels to the tenants, who are thus enabled to obtain the freehold. At the beginning of 1872 about one third of the island had been purchased, and the greater part of this resold. PRINCE GEORGE, a S. E. county of Virginia, bordered N. by James river and N. W. by the Ap.pomattox, and drained by the sources of the Blackwater ; area, about 350 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 7,820, of whom 5,046 were colored. It is intersected by the Atlantic, Mississippi, and Ohio railroad, and the City Point branch. The chief productions in 1870 were 47,282 bushels of wheat, 164,050 of Indian corn, 31,390 of oats, 20,798 of peas and beans, 1,800 Ibs. of tobacco, 2,408 of wool, and 20 bales of cot- ton. There were 490 horses, 533 mules and asses, 1,271 cattle, 639 sheep, and 3,791 swine. Capital, Prince George Court House. PRINCE GEORGE'S, a S. W. county of Mary- land, bordered E. by the Patuxent river and W. by the Potomac and the District of Co- lumbia, and drained by several streams ; area, about 600 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 21,138, of whom 9,780 were colored. Its surface is somewhat hilly and contains great quantities of iron ore ; the soil is generally very fertile. It is inter- sected by the Washington branch of the Balti- more and Ohio railroad, and by the Baltimore and Potomac railroad and the Pope's Creek branch. The chief productions in 1870 were 79,706 bushels of wheat, 23,849 of rye, 518,131 of Indian corn, 57,411 of oats, 60,179 of Irish and 8,099 of sweet potatoes, 69,658 Ibs. of but- ter, 12,997 of wool, 3,665,054 of tobacco, and 6,536 tons of hay. There were 3,434 horses, 2,620 milch cows, 1,247 working oxen, 3,108