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The Supreme Court consists of five judges, who hold office during good behaviour. It has exclusive cognizance of all capital crimes, and exclusive chancery jurisdiction, so far as chancery powers are given by statute; and concurrent original jurisdiction of all civil cases, where the amount in dispute exceeds $600, in Suffolk, and $300 in the other counties. It holds law terms in eight of the fourteen counties of the State, and nisi prius terms in all the counties.

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The Court of Common Pleas is held for the trial of civil cases above $ 20, and, except in Suffolk county, has criminal jurisdiction in all cases not capital. In Suffolk, the criminal jurisdiction is surrendered to the Municipal Court There are six judges, and frequent terms are held in every county. Justices of the Peace have jurisdiction in civil cases under $20, except in Boston, where the Justices of the Police Court, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, hold a "Justices' Court."

Police Court of Boston.

John G. Rogers, Jas. C. Merrill, Abel Cushing, Justices, salary, $1,500 each. Commissioners of Insolvency.

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Leavitt Thaxter, These Commissioners hold a Court of Insolvency at the shire towns in their respective counties on the first Tuesday of each month, and as much oftener as they may deem necessary. Salary,- fees not exceeding the amount of $1,500 each.

Probate Courts.

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The receipts of all kinds, including loans, for the year ending January

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The debt of Massachusetts, on its own account, was, on the 1st January, 1849, $ 1,041,500.52 Liability of the Commonwealth for scrip loaned to the various railroads,

Total absolute and contingent debt,

The value of the property of the Commonwealth, January 1, 1849,

Western Railroad stock sinking fund,

School Fund,

School Fund for Indians,

Charles River and Warren Bridge Fund,

Mortgages on the various railroads,

Total property of the Commonwealth,

Excess of resources over liabilities,

5,049.555.56 $6,091,056.08 $1,091,152.64

525,120.55

843,267.17

2,500.00

25,610.48

5.049,555.56

$7,542,206.40

1,451,150.32

To this may be added the value of at least 2,225,000 acres of Maine lands, the proceeds from the sale of which are to be divided between the school fund and the sinking fund until they amount $1,000,000 each.

Abstract of the Returns of the Banks in Massachusetts for 1848.

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The average dividends of all the banks for the year was 6.76 per cent. Institutions for Savings. In the 41 institutions that made returns, there were 69,894 depositors, and $11,970,447.64 deposits securely invested. The average annual per cent. of dividends of the last five years is 5.66 per cent. The whole expense of managing these 41 Savings Banks is $ 36,404.96.

Insurance Abstract for 1848. - Number of offices, 29, 16 of which are in Boston. Capital, $5,775,000. In United States stocks and Treasury-notes, $51,000. Bank stocks in Massachusetts, $3,941,952. Stock of the State of Massachusetts, $ 120,328. Loans on bottomry and respondentia, $ 93,600. Real estate, $448.493. Mortgages on do., $ 766,837. Loans on collateral and personal security, $ 407,075; loans on personal security only, $319,394. Cash, $ 210,044. Reserved or contingent fund, $361,934. Railroad stock, $386,340. Losses ascertained and unpaid, $271,516. Estimated losses in addition, $282,118. Premium notes, $2,059,701. Notes bad or doubtful, but not charged to profit and loss, $ 30,169. At risk, marine, $ 54,608,266; fire, $ 58,816,020. Premiums on fire risks undetermined, $429,304. Average annual dividends for 5 preceding years, or since incorporated, 8 per cent. (Boston offices, 104 per cent.). Fire losses paid last year, $355,564. Marine losses do., $ 1,544,124. Schools for 1848. The towns raise by taxation for the support of schools, annually, $754,943. Besides this, $4,868, income of the "Surplus Revenue," is so appropriated.

Total, $759,811. Add $35,895, contributed as board and fuel. Number of children in the State from 4 to 16 years old, 214,436. Number that attend school under 4 years, 3,656; over 16 years, 9,977. Amount for each child between 4 and 16, $3.54. Mean average attendance upon school, 133,308. No. of public schools in the State, 3,653. No. of male teachers, 2,424. No. of female teachers, 5,510. No. of scholars in summer schools, 165,132. No. in winter schools, 185,000. Average wages per month, inclusive of board, paid to male teachers, $33.05. Do. to female teachers, $ 14.13. Amount of School Fund, Jan. 1, 1849, $848,267; increase during the year, $3,059. There are 67 incorporated academies in the State, with 3,862 pupils, and an aggregate of $ 61,308 paid for tuition; also 1,096 unincorporated academies and private schools, &c., with 27,216 scholars, and an aggregate of $245,849 paid for tuition. There are also local funds for the support of academies, &c., to the amount of $ 363,464, yielding an income of $ 21,645. No. of volumes in school libraries, 91,539. Value, $42,707. Value of apparatus, $ 23,826. The value of the public school-houses in the State is $2,750,000, of which $2,200,000 has been expended since 1838. There are three Normal Schools supported by the State, at an annual cost of about $6,500,- one. at Westfield, one at West Newton, and one at Bridgewater.

State Lunatic Hospital, Worcester. - George Chandler, M. D., Superintendent. Patients at the commencement of the year ending Nov. 30, 1848, 394; admitted during the year, 261, -128 males, 133 females; remaining at the end of the year, 409, -217 males, 192 females; average during the year, 404: Of those admitted during the year, 166 (91 males, 75 females) were committed by the courts; 22 (10 males, 11 females) by overseers; and 73 (37 males, 46 females) were private boarders. 150 foreigners (76 males, 74 females) remained in the hospital at the end of the year. 246 patients (120 males, 126 females) were discharged during the year; of whom 136 were recovered, 32 improved, 46 incurable and harmless, 2 incurable and dangerous, and 30 died. 15 strong rooms for the more violent female patients have been brought into use. Receipts during the year, $ 44,406.32; balance of cash, November, 1847, $6.218.47; total, $50,624.79. Expenditures, $42,860.05. Leaving balance to new account, $7,764.24. The expense per patient the last year was $106.09; the average annual expense per patient for the 16 years the Hospital has been in operation is $126.72.

State Prison. -The number of prisoners, September 30, 1848, was 281; 122 having been received, and 129 discharged, during the year. Of those in prison, 239 were committed for offences against property, and 42 for offences against the person. 17 are confined for life; 1 for 35 years; 3 for 18 years; and the remainder for a shorter period; 107 are confined for 2 years or less. 41 are from 15 to 20 years old; 137 from 20 to 30; 52 from 30 to 40; 30 from 40 to 50; 18 from 50 to 60; 2 from 60 to 70; and 1 above 70. 74 are foreigners, and 97 natives of Massachusetts. There are 39 second-comers; 9 third-comers; 1 fourth and I sixth comer. There are 22 negroes and 8 mulattoes. Average number of convicts for the year, 287. There has been no death. The expenses have been $ 35,115.04; the receipts, $ 32,387.82. Deficit of income, $2,727.22, owing chiefly to the expense of rebuilding a workshop that was damaged by fire.

State Reform School, Westboro'.-W. R. Lincoln, Superintendent. This institution for the reformation of juvenile offenders, the first of its kind in this country, was opened November 1, 1848, and dedicated on the 7th of December following. During the month of November, there were admitted 23 boys, one of whom was rejected, after trial, as an improper subject. I was 11 years old; 3 were 12; 4 were 13; 9 were 14; 3 were 15; 1 was 16; 1 was 18; and the age of one was unknown. 10 were committed for larceny; 2 for breaking and entering with intent to steal; 2 for breaking and entering, and larceny; 3 as idle and dissolute; 1 for an indecent assault; 1 for having obscene books for circulation; and 4 for stubbornness. 9 were committed during minority; 4 for 5 years; 4 for 3 years; 4 for 2 years; and 2 for 1 year. 11 were received from Suffolk County, 9 from Middlesex, and 3 from Essex. 10 were born in the United States, and 13 in foreign countries. All the boys are employed during a portion of the day at some mechanical, agricultural, or domestic labor. They do the washing, ironing, and cooking, and make and mend their own clothes. Each day, 4 hours are devoted to school, 6 to labor, 8 to sleep, and 5 to recreation and miscellaneous duties. 180 acres of land were originally purchased, and during the last year

an adjoining farm was added. The buildings can accommodate 300 boys. There were 262 boys at the school in September, 1849.

Pauperism in the Year 1848.-The number of persons relieved or supported as paupers was 18,693, of whom 7,166 were town paupers, and 9,431 State paupers. Of these State paupers, 7,413 were foreigners, and of this number 6,707 were natives of England and Ireland. There were 174 almshouses, with 16,667 acres attached, the whole valued at $1,056,494. Number relieved in almshouses, 8,833 (the average being 4,028), of whom 4,057 were unable to labor. Number relieved out of almshouses, 9,817. Average weekly cost of each pauper in almshouses, $ 1.0134; out of almshouses, $1.07 Net expense of almshouses, including interest, $372,749.95. Estimated value of pauper labor in almshouses, $ 16,232.

19.

1,494 for

eign paupers have come into the State within the year. 611 insane and 324 idiots were relieved or supported during the year. 729 are paupers by reason of insanity or idiocy, and it is probable that 9,567 were made paupers by intemperance in themselves or others.

Jails and Houses of Correction. - Whole number of prisoners, including 1,177 debtors, was 8,260. Of these, 6,843 were males; 1,377 females; 1,146 minors; 526 colored; 2,520 able to read or write; 43 insane; 1,143 natives of Massachusetts; 711 natives of other States; 1,983 foreigners; 4,443 nativity unknown; remaining in confinement, November 1, 1848, 962. Average cost of board of each prisoner per week, $1.71. Total expense for the year, $ 77,218.64. Estimated value of labor in Houses of Correction, $9,657.55.

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Whole number,

Other offences,

Costs.

ឧមីវ័ន្ត Prosecutions.

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Convictions.

Acquittals.

Nol. Pros'd.

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2,327 1,046 63 193 529 338

$ 4,269.83 7,081.99

3,545 1,677 173 272 704 487 104| 128 | 52,251.28

Births, Marriages, and Deaths, for the registration year ending April 30th, 1848. - By the returns, which are more full than either of those of previous years, it appears that, excluding the population of Boston, the number of births returned is as 1 to 39 inhabitants, (according to the census of 1840,) the number of marriages as 1 to 122, and the number of deaths as 1 to 62.8. The "Registration" gives the following tables :

1. Influence of Occupation on Longevity.

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Total & averages, 1,687 1,805| 1,695 1,942 2,153 2,623 136,128 51.89 2,734 140.567 51.41

No person under 20 years of age is included in this abstract, occupations not being sup posed to have any particular influence before that age.

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