State Expenditures , 97 



There arose at this time a demand that the state should make 

 provision for its insane poor. An institution known as the Retreat 

 for the Insane and situated in Hartford had been in- 

 Eetreat corporated by the legislature in May, 1822.1 jj^g legis- 

 lature at that time made a grant of five thousand dollars 

 to this institution. 2 This grant was paid in the year which ended 

 March 31, 1824. ^ In 1837 the legislature appointed a committee 

 to inquire into the best means of relieving the insane poor of the 

 state'* and in 1839 a committee was appointed to select a location 

 for an insane hospital and to ascertain the expense of building the 

 hospital. 5 Such a hospital was not built, however, as the legis- 

 lature, in May, 1842, decided to support its insane poor at the 

 above mentioned Retreat for the Insane. The governor was made 

 a commissioner to select the beneficiaries and to contract for their 

 support at this retreat. He was hmited to an annual expense of 

 two thousand dollars.^ The next year the assembly voted to ad- 

 vance to the retreat the appropriation for the next five years — ten 

 thousand dollars — on condition that the retreat should contract 

 to support the insane poor of the state on terms to be agreed upon 

 by the governor and the officers of the institution.'' Finally, in 

 1844, further aid was granted by an act authorizing the governor 

 to contract still further with the institution for the support of the 

 insane poor of the state. In the execution of this contract he was 

 authorized to allow the retreat, in addition to the previous annual 

 grant of two thousand dollars, a sum not to exceed three thousand 

 dollars a year. This act also provided that if any part of this three 

 thousand dollar appropriation was not expended in any year, the 

 balance could be carried on to succeeding j^ears.^ In 1845 five thou- 

 sand dollars was appropriated for completing and furnishing the 

 new buildings of the retreat. This was to be paid in two equal in- 

 stalments, one-half in 1845 and the other in 1846.^ Under the opera- 

 tion of these acts, the state, in the four years ending March 31, 184G, 

 spent the sum of eighteen thousand six hundred eighty-four dollars. 



1 Private Laws, 1789—1836, p. 342. 



2 Gov. Buckingham's Message, 1859, p. 10. 



3 Compt. Report (Ms.), May 1824. 



4 Private Acts, 1837, pp. 26, 27. 

 ^ Private Acts, 1839, pp. 59, 60. 



" Private Acts, May 1842, pp. 52, 53. 

 " Private Acts, 1843, p. 28. 

 « Private Acts, 1844, p. 23. 

 '•' Private Acts, 1845, pp. 117, 118. 

 Trans. Conn. Acad., Vol. XVIT. 7 March, 1912. 



