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width of the portico; the side walls are ninety-five feet eight inches long. The height of the portico to the apex is sixty feet. The wings are each fiftytwo feet long in front, by fifty feet eight inches on ends, and are each forty-seven feet eight inches high from the base course to the apex of the pediment, and their cornices are eight feet four inches below that of the central building. Thus giving the form of the Greek Cross to the structure.

The central building has three stories. The library room was in the second story as are the Executive Chamber, the Senate and the Representative Hall; the latter is in the form of the letter D, with the speaker's desk in the center of the perpendicular line opposite to the entrance to the hall. Vermont has a Capitol, commodious and grand in all its appointments.

As the State library increased it became evident that larger accommodations for it would become necessary, that it might be consulted and used advantageously by the people of the State, especially, that portion consisting of the law li. brary. From the early days of Vermont after a Supreme Court was established until a recent date the Supreme Court under the laws of the State held a session once a year in every County in the State. While this was convenient for local litigants, it did not give the judges a suitable opportunity to consider the cases brought before them for consideration and decision; and when the Court was composed of six judges or more only three or four of their members attended the sessions, so that the litigants did not have the

benefit of the judgement of the full bench. To obviate this difficulty, a general term of the Supreme Court was established by Statute to be held at Montpelier once a year to which important cases, in the discretion of the judges might be sent where the cases might be heard and have the consideration of the full bench. One reason why Montpelier was selected for holding the General Term was that the attorneys and judges might have the use of the law books in the State library and a convenient opportunity to consult them. The General Term of the Court was held in the County Court house of Washington County located at Montpelier. This manner of holding the Supreme Court, was not quite fair to those litigants whose cases were not sent to the General Term and did not have the benefit of the judgement of the full bench, when their cases might be just as important as those that were sent to the General Term for hearing; beside it required an extra session of the Court. It became evident to many that there should be some fixed place in the State where all cases to be heard before that tribunal, should be tried. Montpelier undoubtedly, would accommodate the Court and the people of the State, better than any other, on account of its central position and because both the bench and the bar could have the benefit of consulting the law books in the State library.

The Legislature of Vermont, by an act approved November 22, 1884, appropriated thirtysix thousand dollars for the purpose of erecting within the village of Montpelier, and upon lands of which the State had control, a building for the

use of the State library, the Supreme Court, and the collections and library of Vermont Historical Society, and other State public uses. The act provided that the building should be erected of stone or brick, substantially fire-proof. The governor, lieutenant-governor, State librarian, Frederick Billings, Redfield Proctor, H. Henry Powers and John L. Edwards were appointed commissioners, and empowered to select a site, determine upon a plan, and erect the building and appoint a person to superintend its construction.

Under that act the committee appointed to construct the Library and Supreme Court building proceeded to erect the same and carried the work forward to its completion. The building is 48 feet in width and 74 feet in lenght, connected at its south-east corner with the north-west corner of the State Capitol by a structure 8 feet by 23 feet. It is two stories in height: the first being 131⁄2 feet in the clear, and the second 14 feet, except the part occupied by the library, which opens into the roof, showing the iron trusses, by which it is supported. The first and second story floors are made level with the corresponding floors of the Capitol and connected therewith. The basement is divided into several rooms. The basement is reached by a flight of iron stairs leading from the front corridor and divided into a large toilet room, 12 feet by 48 feet, and fitted with the best modern improvements, and lighted by five windows, giving ample light and ventilation. It has also a store room 12 by 48 feet, a coal and fuel room 16 by 48 feet, and a boiler room 19 by 39 feet. The first

story is entered from the west corridor of the Capitol, also from the outside by a pair of large doors opening into a vestibule in the structure connecting the library building with the west wing of the Capitol. The Court room is 26 by 49 feet; the Judges' room, connected with the Court room, is 15 by 17 feet, and a lawyers' room 13 by 28 feet, also two toilet rooms and two committee rooms.

The second story corridor is entered from the first by an iron stair-case and from the old library through double fire-proof doors. From the upper corridor a door opens into the librarian's room which is 8 by 14 feet. From these rooms are entrances into the library room which is 441⁄2 by 50 feet. The book stacks and shelves are capable of holding about 35,000 volumes. The construction of the building is thorough and durable in every particular. Great care was taken to make the building as nearly fire-proof as possible. The finish and the furnishings of the building and rooms are fine and comports with the style of the building, and the furnishings adapted to the use for which the rooms were designed. It is a building, like the capitol, of which every Vermonter might well feel proud.

"THE COAT OF ARMS

of the State is a landscape of green occupying one half of the shield: on the right and left, in the background, are high mountains of blue (Mt. Mansfield and Camel's Hump as seen from Lake Champlain), with a sky of yellow. From near the . base and reaching nearly to the top of the shield arises a pine-tree of the natural color, and between

erect sheaves of yellow, placed bend wise on the dexter side, and a red cow standing on the sinister side of the field.

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"THE CREST is a buck's head, of the natural color, cut off and placed on a scroll of blue and yellow.

"THE MOTTO AND BADGE.-On a scroll beneath the shield is the motto, 'VERMONT; FREEDOM AND UNITY.'

"THE VERMONTER'S BADGE is of two pine branches of the natural color, crossed between the shield and scroll.

"THE STATE SEAL consists of the Coat of Arms of the State, excluding the crest, scroll, and badge, with the motto in a circular border around the

same.

"THE FLAG OF THE STATE consists of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white, the union being a field of blue, with a single star of white, with the Coat of Arms therein.

"THE STATUE OF ETHAN ALLEN, standing in

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