Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/492

 472 "WASHINGTON (TEBEITOBT) WASHINGTON (COUNTIES) two years. The judicial power is vested in a supreme court, three district courts, a pro- bate court in each county, and justices of the peace. The supreme court has appellate juris- diction, and consists of a chief justice and two associates, appointed by the president with the consent of the senate for four years. The dis- trict courts have general original jurisdiction, and are held by a single judge of the supreme court. The probate judges are elected by the people of the respective counties for two years. The valuation of property in 1860 and 1870, ac- cording to the federal census, was as follows : YEARS. ASSESSED VALCB. True value of real and personal MtaU. Real etUte. Personal estate. Total. 180. . ., 1870 $1,876,063 5,146,776 $2.518,672 6,4U6,OS7 fl.:'.'.i4,7Mr> 10,642,863 $5,601,466 18,562,164 The total taxation in 1870 was $163,992, of which $33,743 was territorial, $119,291 coun- ty, and $10,955 town, city, &c. ; public debt, $88,827, of which $71,196 was county and $17,631 town, city, &c. The assessed value of property in 1875 was $14,569,156; territo- rial tax levied, $58,295 33. The balance in the treasury on Sept. 30, 1873, was $3,805 25; receipts during the two following years, $87,- 936 06; disbursements, $79,398 60; balance, Oct. 1, 1875, $12,342 71. The territorial debt on that date amounted to $20,599 99. There is a territorial insane asylum at Steilacoom. A penitentiary has been erected by the United States on McNeil's island in Puget sound, near Steilacoom. The public schools are under the general supervision of a superintendent of com- mon schools, appointed by the governor and council for two years. A county superinten- dent is elected biennially in each county, and one director is elected annually in each school district for a term of three years. The schools are supported by taxation, fines under criminal statutes, nnd private contributions. In 1875 there were 305 districts ; schools taught, 238 ; persons of school ago (4 to 21), 11,291 ; num- ber attending school, 7,566; teachers, 240; amount paid teachers, $48,358; school reve- nue, $51,556. The territorial university at Seattle has a preparatory department in oper- ation. Holy Angels' college (Roman Catho- lic) is at Vancouver. According to the census of 1870, there were 102 libraries, containing 83,362 volumes, of which 72, with 19,810 vol- umes, were private. The number of newspa- pers was 14, issuing 896,500 copies annually and having a circulation of 6,785, viz. : 1 dai- ly, 1 tri-weekly, 10 weekly, and 2 monthly. There were 47 religious organizations, with 86 church edifices, 6,000 sittings, and property to the value of $62,450. Of the organizations, 8 were Baptist, 4 Christian, 2 Congregation- al, 4 Episcopal, 16 Methodist, 3 Presbyterian, 11 Roman Catholic, 1 Second Advent, and 3 United Brethren in Christ. Washington ori- ginally formed part of Oregon. It was erected into a territory by the act of March 2, 1853, comprising the region lying between the Paci- fic ocean and the summit of the Rocky moun- tains, and N. of the Columbia river and the 46th parallel. The act of Feb. 14, 1859, for the admission of Oregon into the Union, add- ed to Washington the region between the E. boundary of that state and the Rocky moun- tains, and N. of the 42d parallel. The terri- tory then comprised 193,071 sq. m., embracing the present territory of Idaho and parts of Montana and Wyoming. ^The first American settlement was made at Tumwater in 1845 by a few families, who had crossed the plains. Previously the only white inhabitants were employees of the Hudson Bay company. The islands in Washington sound, formerly claimed by Great Britain, were decided in 1872 by the arbitration of the emperor of Germany to be- long to the United States, and in 1873 they were formed into the county of San Juan. WASHINGTON, the name of 28 counties in the United States. I. The extreme S. E. county of Maine, separated from New Brunswick by the St. Croix river, bounded S. by the Atlantic ocean, and drained by the Schoodic and Ma- rinas rivers ; area, about 2,700 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 48,348. The surface is undulating and the soil in the interior fertile. There are nu- merous lakes, the principal of which are the Schoodic, Big, Bascahegan, and Grand. The coast line is nearly 80 m. long, indented with numerous bays and inlets, which afford excel- lent harbors. Passamaquoddy bay is on the S. E. border. The county is traversed by the European and North American, the St. Croix and Penobscot, and the Whitneyville and Ma- chiasport railroads. The chief productions in 1870 were 2,029 bushels of wheat, 35,997 of oats, 12,427 of barley, 11,102 of buckwheat, 237,102 of potatoes, 526,918 Ibs. of butter, 47,072 of wool, and 30,120 tons of hay. There were 2,139 horses, 15,341 milch cows, 6,148 other cattle, 15,211 sheep, and 1,431 swine. There were 327 manufactories ; capital invest- ed, $2,277,920 ; value of products, $4,273,067. The chief establishments were 10 manufacto- ries of carriages and wagons, 9 of cooperage, 22 of cured fish, 5 of iron, 8 of machinery, 1 of ground plaster, 6 of sails, 24 ship yards, 63 saw mills, 4 tanneries, and 4 Hour mills. Cap- ital, Machias. II. A N. central county of Ver- mont, drained by Onion river and its tributa- ries; area, 580 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 26,520. The surface is very much broken, and in some parts mountainous. Most of the county lies be- tween the E. and W. ranges of the Green moun- tains. It is intersected by the Vermont Central railroad. The chief productions in 1870 were 3,730 bushels of wheat, 127,480 of Indian corn, 895,424 of oats, 30,988 of buckwheat, 393,841 of potatoes, 2,218,224 Ibs. of butter, 92,547 of cheese, 121,195 of wool, 1,109,678 of maple sugar, and 83,961 tons of hay. There were 6,564 horses, 17,154 milch cows, 12,359 other