EHODE ISLAND. 



and James Water-house, Democrat, 2,640. Dix- 

 on's majority, 1,492. 



On May 26th, Governor Burnside was inau- 

 gurated for the third time. The Legislature 

 was couvened at the same time. The most im- 

 portant business of this brief session was the 

 election of a United States Senator. This took 

 place on June 9th, when William Sprague re- 

 ceived the unanimous vote of both Houses. 

 This body soon after adjourned to the date of 

 its session in the winter. 



In the State of Ehode Island a property qua- 

 lification in real estate of $134 is required of 

 every voter. The effect of this is to cut off 

 a large portion of foreign-born citizens from 

 the liberty of voting. Several attempts have 

 been made to remove this clause from the 

 State constitution, and hitherto without suc- 

 cess. It has been modified to allow those 

 holding a renting of $7 per annum to vote. 

 Every native male citizen who has paid a tax 

 of $1, performed militia service, and is reg- 

 istered, if twenty-one years of age, is allowed 

 to vote. 



Imprisonment for debt is authorized by law in 

 the State. The policy of the law has been such 

 as to deal with the person of the debtor, and to 

 leave the property unharmed. So long as the 

 debtor is within the State, his property is, in 

 the first instance, exempt, and the writ proceeds 

 against the person. If the debtor departs from 

 the State, then the sacredness of his property 

 disappears, and the creditor can seize it. A 

 modification of the law has been proposed. 



The establishment of a State asylum for the 

 pauper insane was discussed and approved in 

 the Legislature at its session in May, and a com- 

 mittee appointed to examine and recommend 

 a site for its location. A large number of this 

 class of persons has been maintained at the 

 Butler Asylum in Providence, which is now 

 becoming crowded. The indigent blind and 

 deaf and dumb have been maintained at insti- 

 tutions in other States. 



The State prison contains 59 prisoners. A re- 

 form school in Providence receives the juvenile 

 delinquents of the State of both sexes, and pro- 

 vides for their education and employment. 



The number of children in the public schools 

 averages in winter 23,720. The permanent 

 school fund amounts to $412,685. 



The unsettled claims of the State against the 

 Federal Government have been adjusted and 

 allowed, except the sum of $110. The receipts 

 into the State Treasury during the year were 

 $397,736, and the expenditures $257,817, leav- 

 ing a balance of $139,919. The State debt is 

 $3,141,500. 



At the session of the Legislature in May, a 

 commission was appointed to investigate the 

 practicability of restocking the waters of the 

 State with salmon and other migrating fish. 

 The commissioners made a personal examina- 

 tion of all the rivers and main streams of the 

 State. The following is an extract from their 

 report : 



RIVES, WILLIAM 0. 



609 



Forming, as this river (Pawtucket) does for a 

 portion ot its course, the boundary between Rhode 

 Island and Massachusetts, some joint legislation in 

 regard to it must be had ? and we have no doubt that 

 the inhabitants of our sister State will join heartily 

 with us in the good cause. 



Our course must be, in the event of attempting any 

 thing of the kind, to build fishways over the dams 

 to stock the head waters of the stream with young 

 salmon and shad, and to pass stringent laws forbid- 

 ding netting in any part of the stream for two or three 

 years ; at the end of which time, with proper manage- 

 ment, the river, which is now totally barren, will 

 swarm with fish. We think a properly conducted ex- 

 periment in restocking this river with shad and her- 

 ring might be made at a cost not exceeding one thou- 

 sand dollars, perhaps for less ; and, in case of BUCCCSS, 

 your commissioners hope that the manufacturers on 

 other rivers will find it for their interests to open fish- 

 ways, protect the water from impurity, and join with 

 the State government in the propagation and growth 

 of fishes in their waters. 



We also visited the Wauchog pond in Charlestown, 

 with the view of ascertaining the probability of stock- 

 ing its waters with black bass, a very gamey, excel- 

 lent, and prolific fish, whose natural habitat is the 

 more northern and western streams of Canada and 

 New York, but which have been introduced with 

 good success into variovis waters of the Eastern States. 



We find said pond admirably adapted for the pur- 

 pose by nature, as it has an outlet into Pawcatuck 

 River, which would give the fish a circulation through 

 the entire waters of the southern part of the State. 

 We found the people on the borders of the pond re- 

 luctant to promise us assistance until our repeated 

 assurances convinced them we were laboring lor the 

 public good. 



For the purpose of stocking this and other ponds 

 with black bass, we are confident no appropriation 

 need be made, but that, aided and protected by proper 

 legislation, private enterprise will, within a short time, 

 stock all our inland waters, fit for the purpose, with 

 this splendid fish. 



The commissioners close with the following 

 remarks, relative to the sea-coast fisheries : 



While it is right and proper that the river fisheries 

 should be protected, and measures taken to increase 

 the supply, it is easy to show that, in real importance 

 and commercial value, the products of our shores and 

 bays greatly exceed them. Our markets, and through 



them the people, depend chiefly upon salt water Jor 



)ly ( " 



ans 

 price, is indisputable. 



their supply of fish. That this supply is variable and 

 by no means what it should be, either in quantity or 



That the demand for fish, clams, and oysters, has 

 increased within the past few years, is no doubt true, 

 and this fact has doubtless had an effect upon the 

 market prices ; but the chief cause will be found to 

 be the steadily decreasing supply of the more common 

 kinds of shell-fish and sea fishes. 



Take, for example, the clam, one of Rhode Island's 

 most boasted institutions. Within a few years the 

 price has increased threefold, while the quantity and 

 quality have deteriorated in the same proportion^ 



This seems to us a subject for grave consideration, 

 and we take this occasion to recommend to your hon- 

 orable body the advisability of appointing a commit- 

 tee of disinterested men, who shall examine into the 

 whole matter thoroughly-, and report at the earliest 

 possible moment, as it is a subject which has been 

 procrastinated much too long for the public good. 



BIVES, WILLIAM C., an American statesman 

 and diplomatist, born in Nelson County, Va., 

 May 14, 1793 ; died near Charlottesville, Al- 

 bemarle County, Va,, April 26, 1868. He was 

 educated at Hampden Sidney and William and 

 Mary Colleges ; studied law and politics under 



