RHODE ISLAND. 



RICHMOND, DEAN. 



C71 



' About half-past eleven o'clock, the military escort, 



miml.eriiin about 1,'JOO soldiers, comprising nearly 



v company in the Stutc, inclinlin^ three 



..ry, and out- lit;lit hattery of 



*, under Command of 1' ueral 



' '., e~.-o rt.-.l tin- newly-elected members of the 



to tin- St:it<- House. 



mmittee" ini't in convention at 



For the purpose of counting the votes for 



. and soon after voted a recess till 3 



., liicli time the inauguration ceremonies 



At 3 o'clock the Legislature again as- 



I, tli-) Governor in the chair. The roll call 



dieit'"| the f:ii-t that a <juorum was present. 



Tin- votes tor the various officers were counted and 



deelared, and the announcement was made to the 



"grand committee" that the several otlicers had 



Vcted. The communication was then made to 



vn-elerk of the town of Newport, who made 



proclamation from the balcony of the State House 



that the officers so named were elected to serve for 



the year ensuing. 



As soon as the town-clerk had finished making the 

 proclamation to the vast multitude below, the loud 

 boom of the cannon took up the echo and informed 

 the good people of the proud little State that the new 

 C.ivi niment nad been inaugurated, and had entered 

 upon its duties. 



The " grand committee " then dissolved, and 

 the Senate r-jturned to their chamber, and the Gov- 

 ernor, as presiding officer, announced the various 

 committees, standing and joint, and the Legislature 

 then adjourned. 



The crowd slowly dispersed, and in a short time 

 Washington Square was left to its usual quiet. 



Altogether it was one of the most noted days in 

 Newport's history, there never having been seen in 

 its streets so large a display of military, or so large 

 a concourse of spectators. 



A session of the Legislature, extending through 

 nearly four days ensued, which was described 

 as a "pleasant, harmonious, and industrious 

 one." Eighty-three acts and resolutions passed 

 both houses, and many other bills failed in one 

 or the other house. The following were among 

 the resolutions passed : 



f, The General Assembly of the State of 

 Rhode Island have learned with profound regret the 

 death of Brevet Lieuteuant-General Wiufield Scott, 

 at West Point, 



Therefore resolved, That we desire to express our 

 deep appreciation of the private character and 

 grand military achievements of the departed hero, 

 and our sincere regrets at his decease, although we 

 are impressed with the consciousness that he is 

 gathered to his fathers full of years and honors, after 

 a long life of great military achievements and patrio- 

 tic devotion. 



Resolved, That we commend his example to the 

 >t and future generations as a mun, a hero, and 

 a devoted patriot. 



It was said by the press: "Governor Burn- 

 sido presided in the Senate and in grand commit- 

 tee, with dignity and easy efficiency, quite re- 

 markable in one whose experience in public af- 

 fairs li.-id been of a military rather than a legisla- 

 tive character." The salary of the Chief Justice 

 of the Supreme Court was raised to $8,500; 

 Charles S. Bradley was reflected to that office. 

 ulution was adopted, appointing a commit- 

 tee to select a site and procure designs and esti- 

 mates for a monument to the memory of the 

 :> and men from the State who fell during 

 tin' late war. A proposition was also brought 



forward and referred to a special comn- 

 to \\ ithdraw the State guardianship from the 

 tribe of Narragan^'tt Indian*. Tliid tribe rt- 

 v. it hin the limit* of the State. Its mem- 

 !'ct their own officers, and are governed 

 by their own laws, which embrace their cus- 

 toms and usages as they are gathered from tra- 

 dition. Their council is of annual election, and 

 subject to an undefined supervising power 

 ing with the General Assembly of the ^ 

 and is the arbiter of all their affairs. About 

 2,000 acres of their tribal lands are hold by in- 

 dividual members of the tribe as tlicir separate 

 o-tate. Their title was derived originally from 

 the tribe, and rests upon tradition. The coun- 

 cil grant the titles. Their mode of grant is 

 as follows : the council go with the 'grantee 

 upon the lot proposed to be granted. After 

 the lot is marked out and bounded, the council 

 cut a sod, and place it upon the bare head of 

 the grantee, and then, while he is upon the land 

 and under the sod, they administer to him a 

 solemn oath of allegiance to the tribal authority. 

 This mode of invcsture of title bears a consider- 

 able analogy to the old common law, livery of 

 seizin. 



The individual lands of the tribe cannot be 

 alienated without the consent of the General 

 Assembly of the State ; they descend to the 

 heir upon the decease of the holder, subject 

 however to the right of occupancy in the next 

 of kin who remains with the tribe, the posses- 

 sion however is to be restored to the heir when 

 he returns to the tribal jurisdiction ; but should 

 the owner die in debt to the tribe, the council 

 let or improve the lands, or sell the wood from 

 them to pay the debts due to the tribe, and 

 when these are paid, they surrender the land to 

 the heir or the holder entitled to possess them. 

 The tribe maintain their poor, and support pub- 

 lic worship, and the State supports their school. 

 The tribe number 58 males, and 75 females ; in 

 all, 133. They own, in all, about 3,000 acres 

 of land in the centre of the town of Charles- 

 town. 



At a conference between the committee of 

 the Legislature and the members of the tribe, 

 the red men declined to become citizens of the 

 State under the " Civil Eights." They did not 

 wi>h to vote at elections. 



During the year the Governor succeeded in 

 collecting nearly all of the State military claims 

 against the Federal Government. The amount 

 ofthete was $208,000, of which less than $20,- 

 000 were unsettled. 



The finances of the State are in a favorable 

 condition, and her local institutions prosperous. 



RICHMOND, DEAN, conspicuous as a politi- 

 cal manager, capitalist, and business man, and 

 largely identified with the railroad system of 

 New York and the Western States, died on 

 August 27th in the city of New York, after a 

 short illness, in the G3d year of his age. His 

 maternal grandfather, Elkanah Dean, resided 

 in Taunton, Massachusetts, where his parents 

 were married. Soon after, they removed to 



