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The judicial power is vested in a Supreme Court, District Courts, Courts of Probate, Justices of the Peace, and such other courts inferior to the Supreme Court as the Legislature may, by a two-thirds vote, establish. The Supreme Court, with original jurisdiction in such remedial cases as are prescribed by law, and appellate jurisdiction in all cases, both in law and equity, consists of a Chief Justice, and two Associate Justices, elected by the people at large, to hold office for seven years, and until their successors are qualified. The Legislature, by a two-thirds vote, may increase the number of Associate Justices to four. There are no trials by jury in this Court. The Court appoints a Reporter of its decisions. A Clerk is chosen for three years, and until his successor is qualified. There are six Judges of the District Courts, elected in single districts for seven years, and until their successors are chosen. A Clerk for these Courts is chosen in each county for four years. The District Courts have original jurisdiction in all cases in law and equity where over $ 100 is in controversy, and in criminal cases, where the punishment may be imprisonment for over three months or a fine of over $100. There are Probate Courts in each organized county, and the Judges are elected for two years. Justices of the Peace are elected in each county for two years. Their jurisdiction in civil cases does not exceed $100, and in criminal cases they cannot imprison over three months nor fine over $100. The Justices of the Supreme and District Courts shall hold no other office, federal or State, nor be eligible during their term to any other than a judicial office, and their compensation shall not be diminished during their continuance in office.

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Of the receipts for the above period, $116,446.92 was received from taxes, $183,597.07 from State scrip (warrants on the State Treasury), and $252,512.50 from the sale of State bonds.

The expenditures were chiefly as follows: For the Constitutional Convention, $50,353.07; for old Territorial expenses, $64,626.00; for Legislative expenses, $92,608.15; other Government expenses, $142,793.40; for the redemption of State scrip, $192,108.13.

The appropriations for 1860 were as follows: For the Judiciary, $ 18,000; Legislature, $50,000; Executive, $ 10,850; Public Printing, $18,010; Contingent Funds, $2,990; Penitentiary, $2,100; Interest on Public Debt, $22,200; Miscellaneous, $13,083.11. Total, $137,233.11.

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The law passed March 13, 1858, authorizing the issue of the eight per cent bonds, requires that the principal shall be paid in nine years, a sinking fund being created for that purpose by an annual tax.

There is also a contingent liability of the State, incurred by a loan of State credit to aid in the construction of railroads, amounting to $2,275,000 in bonds of the State, bearing interest at seven per cent per annum, and which mature on Dec. 1, 1883, or in twenty-five years from date of issue. These bonds were issued to the four land-grant companies, by virtue of an amendment to the Constitution, adopted by the people April 17, 1858, as a part of a loan of $5,000,000, to be issued as construction advanced, and were distributed as follows: To Southern Minnesota Railroad Company, $575,000; Minnesota and Pacific, $600,000; Transit, $500,000 Minneapolis and Cedar Valley, $600,000. Total, $2,275,000. The companies, having failed to pay the interest, have forfeited their right to further State aid; and the law authorizing such aid has since been repealed.

Taxable Basis of 1859.- Total valuation of property in forty counties, $35,564,492.70. Rate of State tax five mills on the dollar, producing $177,822.46. Rate of State tax in 1860, four mills on the dollar. Under a law passed in 1860 a State Board of Equalization has been constituted, consisting of the Governor, Secretary, Treasurer, Attorney-General, and Auditor.

Banks. For the condition of the banks in this State, Jan. 2, 1860, see ante, page 231. Education. One eighteenth part of all the public lands in the State, or two sections in every township, amounting in all to about 2,888,000 acres, were granted to the State by Congress for the support of Common Schools. No provision has been made for the sale of these lands. The Common School fund is raised by a tax of two and a half mills on the dollar on the total valuation of property in each county, and distributed from the County treasuries to the school districts in sums proportionate to the number of children they respectively contain between the ages of 4 and 21. The school system has been recently reorganized. Under a law of 1853 a State Normal School was established at Winona, the State appropriating $5,000 for the purpose. The school is in successful operation. The University of Minnesota enjoys the grant by Congress of seventy-two sections of the public lands. It is located at St. Anthony, and is now in operation. The Chancellor of the University is ex officio the State Superintendent of Common Schools. Charitable Institutions. — There are no eleemosynary institutions yet established in the State.

The State Prison is at Stillwater.

Railroads. - The land grant to Minnesota provides for the construction of five Railroads, 1,270 miles in all, of which 845 miles have been surveyed and located. 239 miles of railroad have been graded ready for the superstructures, -a loan of State credit, as before stated, having been made for that purpose.

A Bureau of Statistics was established in February, 1860. The Commissioner, Joseph A. Wheelock, of St. Paul, submitted his first report July 1, 1860, which is full of valuable information in regard to the condition and resources of the State.

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of Yazoo,
of Knoxubee,

Capital, Jackson. Area, 47,151 sq. m. Population, 1860, 887,158.

Government for the Year 1861.

Term expires.

Salary.

JOHN J. PETTUs, of Kemper Co., Governor, 3d Mond. in Nov. 1861, $4,000 Charles A. Brougher, of Toppah Co., Sec. of State, Jan. 1862, 1,200

M. D. Haynes,
E. R. Burt,

1,500

Charles B. Green,

of Jackson,

State Treasurer,
Auditor of Pub. Ac'ts, “
Adjutant-General,

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1,500

600

B. W. Sanders,

Dr. Eugene Hilgard,

A. M. Hardin,

E. Barksdale,

of Jackson,

JUDICIARY.

of Holmes Co., Keeper of Capitol & Librarian, 500
State Geologist.

Keeper of the Penitentiary,
State Printer,

High Court of Errors and Appeals.

1,500

1,500

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The jurisdiction of the High Court is appellate exclusively. There are two terms each year in Jackson, commencing on the first Monday of April and of October. The Reporter is elected by the Legislature. The reports are to be called the "Mississippi Reports," and are to be printed, bound, and published in the State of Mississippi. The Circuit Court has original jurisdiction in civil cases in which the sum in controversy exceeds $50. For each of the circuits, ten in number, a judge and attorney are elected, every four years. It has also exclusive criminal jurisdiction. There is also a Probate Court, with a judge and clerk for each county. The Probate Court in most of the counties has a term of from two to six days each month. The Probate Clerk is also Register of Deeds. The Probate Judges are now paid by salaries instead of fees.

FINANCES.

Receipts into the Treasury from November 1, 1858, to October 31, 1859,
Disbursements,

Excess of Expenditures,

$624,020.03

707,015.00

$82,994.97

The excess of expenditures was caused by the settlement and payment of certain funds as follows: 2 per cent fund to S. R. R. Co., $34,769.38; 3 per cent do., $ 13,798.79; sinking fund, $101,545.25.

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Valuation of lands in 1854,

19,397.85 Executive Contingent Fund,

$90,950,585.17; in 1857, $141,747,536.37; increase in value, $50,796,951.20. Taxable slaves, that is, those under 60 years of age, in 1854, 326,861; in 1857, 363,182; in 1858, 377,905. The tax upon them is 40 cents a head.

Some of the other items of the taxable personal property in 1858, were as follows: Those taxed at of 1 per cent; No. of pleasure-carriages 13,600, value $2,123,608; clocks 17,349, value $162,937; watches 15,732, value $958,612; gold and silver plate over $50 in value, $196,115. Tax at of 1 per cent; money at interest or used to purchase notes, securities, &c., $8 573,446; goods, &c., purchased or brought into the State by regular merchants, $12,355,617. Tax at of 1 per cent; vinous and spirituous liquors sold by the gallon, $202,162; pianos, number 2,443, value $570,011; toll-bridges, ferries, &c., number 90, annual receipts $53,264. Merchandise sold by auctioneers or transient vendors of goods, $14,424, tax 3 per cent. Number of race, saddle, or livery horses 7,421, value $570,011; rate of tax, per cent. Among the specific taxes were, at $25 each, 15 ten-pin alleys, I theatre, and I race track; at $1 each, 360 bowie-knives, 138 dirk-knives, and 217 swordcanes. The number of cattle over twenty head, was 181,026, tax, one cent each; free male negroes between 21 and 50 years of age, at $1 each, 117; free white polls between 21 and 30 years of age, at 40 cents each. $ 54,073.

Banks. See ante, page 23).

Charitable Institutions. — An asylum for the blind, one for the deaf and dumb, and a lunatic hospital, are in operation, under the care and support of the State, at Jackson. There were received into the lunatic asylum, from its opening to October, 1858, 219 patients. October 1, 1859, there were in the asylum 106, -63 males and 43 females; admitted during the year, 47,-30 males and 17 females; whole number for the year, 153, - 93 males and 60 females; discharged during the year, 48; leaving under treatment, Oct. 1, 1859, 106, -65 males, 41 females. Of those discharged, 14 had recovered, and 19 died. The receipts for the year were $30,064.60; expenditures, $35,315 21. Excess of expenditures, $5,250.61.

In the deaf and dumb asylum during the two years ending November, 1859, the number of pupils increased from 15 to 24. The institution is open and free to all the deaf and dumb who are actual residents of the State, and between the ages of 10 and 25. It is situated within a mile of Jackson, on elevated ground. The buildings will accommodate from 75 to 100 pupils. There are 70 acres of land, and the yard around the house has 10 acres.

Common Schools. There is no uniform common-school system for all the counties. Each township has a school fund arising from the lease of lands granted by Congress for common-school purposes, - every 16th section in each township having been so granted. These lands are leased for various periods, but mostly for ninety-nine years. The money thence arising is loaned annually at not less than 8 nor more than 10 per cent per annum

interest. This interest is the amount applied to tuition, &c., annually from the township fund. There is also a county fund, arising from fines, forfeitures, licenses, &c., which is distributed in those townships that are destitute or have but a small school fund. The school sections in some townships are worth many thousand dollars, and in others only a few hundreds. Hence great inequality in the funds of the townships, and the necessity of the above method of distributing the county funds. In all the larger towns, public schools have been established, and there are many flourishing High Schools.

State Penitentiary. — This institution is at Jackson.

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Capital, Jefferson City. Area, 65,037 sq. m. Population, 1860, 1,201,209.

Government for the Year 1861.

Term ends. Salary.

CLAIBORNE F. JACKSON, of Saline Co., Governor, Dec. 1864, $3,000

Thomas C. Reynolds, of St. Louis,

Benj. F. Massey,

Wm. S. Moseley,
Alfred W. Morrison,

Jas. Proctor Knott,
John F. Houston,
Wm. B. Starke,

Wm. E. Dunscomb,

[and á furnished house.

Lieut.-Governor, Dec. 1864.

of Jasper Co., Sec. of State, Oct. 1, 1864, $1,000 & f.

of New Madrid, Aud. of Acc'ts,

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1,850

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of Saline Co., Sup. Pub. Schools, Jan. 1, 1863, 1,500 of Jefferson City, State Librarian, and Com[missioner of the Permanent Seat of Government. of Jefferson City, Adjutant-General,

G. A. Parsons,
James S. Hackney,
Robert Barnes,
A. S. Robinson,

John McAfee,

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Thomas H. Murray, of Benton Co.,
Warwick Hough,

Quartermaster-General,

200

365

1,000

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President of State Bank,
Cashier

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Speaker of the House.

Chief Clerk of the House.

of Jefferson City, Secretary of Senate.

Stephen S. Vannoy, George W. Hough, and Francis T. Davis, constitute the Board of Public Works.

The Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer, Attorney-General, Register of Lands, and Superintendent of Common Schools are required to live during their term at Jefferson City. The Lieutenant-Governor is ex officio President of the Senate, and receives $7 a day while presiding, and mileage. The pay of the Speaker of the House of Representatives is the same. Senators are chosen every fourth, and Representatives every second year. Their pay is $5 a day during the session, and mileage. The Legislature meets at the city of Jefferson, biennially, on the last Monday in December. A session commenced on the 31st of December, 1860.

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