Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/407

 VIEGINIA CITY VIRGINIA CREEPER 387 graduated in the Latin, Greek, French, and German languages, pure mathematics, natural philosophy, general chemistry, moral philoso- phy, and history and literature, and who have passed satisfactory general examinations in re- view on all the studies of these schools. The candidate for the degree of master of arts is also required to prepare an essay on some sub- ject of literature or science. The professional degrees are : 1, bachelor of law, conferred upon those who have graduated in both schools of law ; 2, doctor of medicine ; 3, civil engineer ; 4, mining engineer ; 5, civil and mining engi- neer. In conferring degrees no requirement is made as to length of residence at the uni- versity. No honorary degrees are conferred. The annual tuition fees of academic students attending three schools amount to $75, exclu- sive of the matriculation and library fee of $30; students in law, $80; civil engineering (three schools), $100; medicine, $110. The aggregate necessary expenses of academic stu- dents, exclusive of text books, clothing, &c., range from $271 to $391 a year. Clergymen and indigent students preparing for the minis- try may attend any of the schools without pay- ing fees to the professors. In 1875 the annual state appropriation for the university was in- creased to $30,000, in consideration of which it will receive in the academic schools, free of charge for tuition, any Virginia student over 18 years of age, who upon examination is found to be prepared to profit by the instruction he' seeks to obtain. Prior to 1875 the number of state beneficiaries was 50. They were ap- pointed by the faculty, and received tuition and the use of rooms free of charge. Eleven scholarships, entitling the holders to instruc- tion for one year without payment of matric- ulation or tuition fees, are open by competi- tive examination to students from any state. There are also 40 farmers' scholarships, pro- viding free tuition for two years in certain schools whose studies relate to scientific and practical agriculture. The department of agri- culture was established in 1869 by means of the gift of $100,000 made by Samuel Miller of Lynchburg. In 1875-'6 there were in the uni- versity 17 instructors and 330 students. The total number of matriculates was about 15,000. The library contains 36,000 volumes. VIRGINIA CITY, the chief city of Nevada, county seat of Storey co., in the Washoe moun- tains, at the terminus of the Virginia and Truckee railroad, by which it is 52 m. S. S. E. of Reno on the Central Pacific railroad and 21 m. N. N. E. of Carson City, about 180 m. (di- rect) N. E. of San Francisco ; pop. in 1860, 2,345 ; in 1870, 7,048, of whom 3,456 were foreigners, including 539 Chinese ; in 1875, about 16,000, of whom about 900 were Chinese. It is built on the famous Comstock lode (see NEVADA, vol. xii., p. 265) at the E. foot of Mt. Davidson, which rises 1,622 ft. above the main street and 7,827 ft. above the sea. It is regu- larly laid out on a precipitous site, with broad streets and avenues, but is destitute of shade trees and unattractive in appearance. The principal public buildings are the masonic hall, odd fellows' hall, county court house, miners' union hall, county hospital, and St. Mary's hos- pital. It is lighted with gas, and is supplied with water from the summit of the Sierra Ne- vada, 25 m. distant, through an iron pipe. The chief business is mining. The older mines are the Hale and Norcross, the Savage, Gould and Curry, the Ophir, the Mexican, and the -Best and Belcher. The celebrated consolidated Vir- ginia mine in 1875 yielded more than $17,000,- 000, and in March, 1876, produced $3,634,- 000. The California mine, said to be the rich- est in the world, joins the consolidated Vir- ginia on the north. It is officially estimated that the ultimate yield of these two mines will be $300,000,000. There are five public schools (one high and four grammar), a Roman Cath- olic school, several private schools, two daily newspapers, five church edifices (Baptist, Epis- copal, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Roman Catholic), and several religious societies with- out edifices. The Comstock lode was discov- ered in 1858 by a Virginian, from which cir- cumstance the city derives its name. Its set- tlement began in 1859, and it was incorporated in 1861. On Oct. 26, 1875, a fire destroyed more than half the city. Prior to March, 1876, the burnt district had been almost entirely re- built, and several handsome structures erected. VIRGINIA CITY, a city and the county seat of Madison co., Montana, on the N. bank of Alder creek, a tributary of Stinkingwater river, on the E. slope of the Rocky mountains, 5,826 ft. above the sea, 110 m. S. of Helena; pop. in 1870, 867, of whom 279 were Chinese; in 1875, about 1,200. The streets are regularly laid out. It is connected by regular lines of stages with the Utah Northern railroad, 350 m. S. It is supported by the placer and quartz mines in the vicinity, which have yielded $40,000,000. The city contains a court house and jail, cost- ing $35,000; a public school house, costing $8,000 ; two banking houses, two weekly news- papers, a public library, and three churches (Episcopal, Methodist, and Roman Catholic). Virginia City was settled in 1863, upon the discovery of gold in Alder gulch, and was in- corporated in 1865. It was the capital of the territory from 1865 to January, 1875, when the seat of government was removed to Helena. VIRGINIA CREEPER, a woody climbing vine of the grape family, peculiar to North America, and found from Canada to Texas. It was placed in the genera mtis and cissus by the earlier authors, but as it differs from these in having no disk or glands to the flower, Michaux established for it a separate genus, ampelopsis ; both this and cissm are reduced to vitis (the vine) by Bentham and Hooker, though in American botanical works Michaux's name am- pelopsis quinquefolia is retained for the plant, which is often called A. Tiederacea by European authors. The plant climbs extensively, often