MINNESOTA. 



MISSISSIPPI. 



519 



United States Array in 1812, and now surgeon 

 in St. Mary's Hospital, Detroit, while approving 

 of their use in the severer operations of surgery, 

 whenever there is sufficient force in the circu- 

 lation, and nervous activity enough to sustain 

 the patient, " feels obliged to remonstrate against 

 their use in cases of syncope or nervous ex- 

 haustion." On the other hand, Dr. Valentine 

 Mott, Dr. Gross, an eminent army surgeon, and 

 some others, advocate their use in all capital 

 operations, and Dr. Mott prefers chloroform to 

 ether. The use of the nitrous oxide now lie- 

 coming so popular with the dentists, is generally 

 regarded as inadmissible in most surgical oper- 

 ations, both from the difficulty and trouble of 

 its daily preparation, and from the fact that the 

 anaesthesia produced by it, is not sufficiently 

 lasting to permit of protracted operations. Its 

 effect on the system is unquestionably less per- 

 nicious than that of either chloroform or ether. 

 (See ANESTHETICS.) 



MINNESOTA. This young State, situated 

 on the extreme northwest of the other States, is 

 rapidly increasing in population. The amount 

 of public land entered by settlers during the year 

 was 665,750 acres, being an increase of 202,454 

 acres over the previous year. The increase in 

 logs scaled for lumber is" 28,000, 000 feet. The 

 sales of school lands during the year were 

 41,510 acres for $287,675, and during the past 

 three years 131,950 acres for $839,984, aver- 

 aging nearly $6.50 per acre. A hundred miles 

 of railroad within the State are in operation, and 

 two hundred miles more are graded and ready for 

 the rails. The balance in the State Treasury at 

 the end of the year was $93,530. The number of 

 troops contributed to the Federal service by the 

 State at the close of the previousyear was 13,201. 

 Under the call for five hundred thousand men 

 in July, 1864, the State contributed for one year, 

 2, 682 men; for two years, 204; for three years, 

 61 men. The excess of credits to the State on 

 August 1st, was 1,407 men. 



A correspondence took place between Gov. 

 Miller and Provost Marshal General Fry, rela- 

 tive to the quota of the State under the call for 

 troops made in December, 1864. The latter 

 stated that the call of December was intended 

 to supply deficiencies in the call of July arising 

 from credits allowed under that call, and said : 



The rule in applying credits is, that they should be 

 deducted from the quota of the call that produced 

 them. All men raised since the call of July 18, 1864, 

 are credited upon the quota under that call; if the 

 quota is more than filled, it is carried as an excess to 

 the credit of the locality, and taken into account in 

 the assignment of the quota under the call of December 

 19th, 1864, and provost marshals are instructed that, 

 in determining the quotas of sub-districts under the 

 present call, they will apply such excess accordingly; 

 and all men raised since December 19th are of course 

 credited upon the call of that date. 



In crediting the excess that is carried forward from 

 the call of July 13th, 1864, and applied to the call of 

 December 19th, 1864, I consider not only the number 

 of men of which the excess is composed, but also the 

 period of their service, and the quotas assigned un- 

 der the call of December 19th are thus reduced by 

 this excess of service, and hence they should not 



be further reduced, except by enlistments subsequent 

 to December 19th, 1864, the date of -the call for thre<* 

 hundred thousand men. 



The entire vote given by the State at the Pres- 

 idential election was 42,435, of which Mr. Lin- 

 coln received 25,060, and Gen. McClellan 17,- 

 375 ; majority for Mr. Lincoln, 7,685. Soldiers 

 do not vote out of the State. The vote of the 

 State in 1860 was 34,421, being an increase of 

 8,014. Two Republican members of Congress 

 were chosen at the same election. 



The Legislature elected was divided as follows : 



Senate. House. 



Republicans 16 82 



Democrats 5 10 



Total 21 42 



The educational and benevolent institutions 

 of the State made more progress than during 

 the previous year. They are yet, however, in 

 their infancy. 



The large Federal force on the western bor- 

 der prevented the incursions of the Indians as 

 in previous years, and the State was compara- 

 tively free from disturbance in consequence of 

 the neighboring Indian war. 



MISSISSIPPI. After the expedition under 

 Gen. Sherman to Meridian at the commencement 

 of the year (see ARMY OPERATIONS), Mississippi 

 was almost entirely abandoned by the Federal 

 forces. All the northern counties were left, 

 and also other parts of the State excepting 

 Yicksburg and Natchez,, where garrisons were 

 stationed, and a small force on the Yazoo. The 

 people on the line of Gen. Sherman's march 

 returned to their homes and endeavored to ac- 

 commodate themselves to the circumstances 

 which existed. Many of the planters without 

 horses and servants were supplied by those in 

 the districts not overrun to such an extent as 

 to enable them to get in a crop sufficient for 

 their necessities. The railroads and telegraphs 

 were repaired with much vigor. 



The efforts which were made to employ freed- 

 men on plantations were generally unsuccess- 

 ful, owing to the hazardous nature of the busi- 

 ness, unless a Federal force was close at hand 

 to afford protection against guerrillas. An 

 order was issued by Gen. Slocum on May 19th, 

 declaring that the residents of a district should 

 be made responsible for all the damage caused 

 by guerrillas to lessees. For every lessee killed 

 an assessment of ten thousand dollars was or- 

 dered to be levied upon the disloyal people 

 residing within thirty miles, which should be 

 appropriated to the family of the deceased. 

 Notwithstanding these provisions for the em- 

 ployment of.freedmen, the banks of the Missis- 

 sippi River were almost lined with their rude 

 huts and cabins, and a vast amount of destitu- 

 tion, starvation, and sickness prevailed. The 

 return of Gen. Sherman brought between 

 ten and eleven thousand, which added to the 

 numbers already at the military posts. In 

 Natchez military orders were issued as a sani- 

 tary measure, forbidding any contraband to re- 

 rnaiu in that city after April 1st, who was no* 



