414 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



rate was one to 43.83 of the whole population. 

 The highest marriage-rate was in Suffolk 

 County, the lowest in Dukes. The average 

 age of the new-married during the year was 

 29.1 years; of women, 25.1 years. The per- 

 centage of nativities of those married is as fol- 

 lows : wholly American, 58.94 per cent., wholly 

 foreign, 29.24 per cent., mixed, 11.82 per cent. 

 This shows a small diminution of purely Amer- 

 ican marriages and a marked increase of foreign 

 marriages from the preceding year, when the 

 proportion was 59.72 and 28.27. 



The number of deaths, 22,772, was 2,301 less 

 than the average of the six preceding years, 

 and but 2,038 larger than the smallest number 

 during the past eleven years. The death-rate 

 in 1867 was 1.797 to 100 persons living, which 

 is smaller than the average for the twelve years 

 preceding the war. The highest rate was in 

 Boston, the lowest in the coast counties south 

 of Boston, of which the record of Dukes is 

 the most satisfactory. The highest rate in the 

 large cities and towns was in Somerville, 2.48 ; 

 the lowest in Haverhill, .88. The nativities of 

 those who died were as follows : American, 18,- 

 278 ; foreign, 4,126 ; not stated, 368 the per- 

 centage of those known being 81.58 Americans, 

 18.42 foreign. The leading causes of death were 

 consumption, 4,362; pneumonia, 1,378; cholera 

 infanturn, 966; typhus, 965 ; scarlatina, 828; 

 dysentery, 658 ; croup, 356 ; teething, 275 ; 

 diphtheria, 251; measles, 194; erysipelas, 144. 



The report of Mr. Stockbridge for the Com- 

 missioners on Cattle Diseases states that the 

 pleuro-pneumonia has not appeared during the 

 year, and "we would fain hope to be exempt 

 from its scourge in the long future." The 

 Spanish fever also failed to break out again 

 last spring, as it had been feared, and the only 

 serious malady among cattle was that which 

 first made its appearance in October last in 

 Great Barrington and Egremont. The facts 

 regarding this malady are given at some length 

 in the report of Dr. Beebe, who was called 

 to take charge of the cases. The symptoms 

 first appeared, after the great fall freshet, 

 among cattle which had been allowed to feed 

 on the meadows and marshes, but it is not 

 regarded as certain that the undue moisture 

 or malaria from them was the cause of the 

 disease. The cattle appeared to be perfectly 

 well, up to within a very few hours of death. 

 They then became stupid, their horns were 

 cold in milch-cows the quantity of milk was 

 largely diminished and in a few hours the 

 animal would die, invariably in great agony. 

 Post-mortem examinations showed the spleen 

 to be inordinately disturbed, the blood to be 

 entirely free from coagulation and to lack 

 fibrin, and a healthy state of the lungs and 

 most of the other organs of the body. Dr. 

 Beebe prepared a prescription which was used 

 with great success. It consists of rosin, elm- 

 bark, ^ginger, and cayenne, each one drachm, 

 and cinchona two scruples. Mix in a half-pint 

 of warm water, and give every two to four 



hours. The disease has been eradicated, it is 

 believed, but it has caused a great loss to the 

 farmers of the two towns to which its ravages 

 were mostly confined. Both Mr. Stockbridge 

 and Dr. Beebe believe that the disease is not 

 contagious. 



The report of the Board of Assessors of the 

 city of Boston gives the following statistics in 

 reference to the valuation of property : 



Eeal $332,051,900 



Personal 217,459,700 



Total $549,511,600 



The report shows a gain on real estate of 

 $44,416,100, and on personal estate of $11,531,- 

 800, making a total gain of $55,937,900. 



The annual report of the State Liquor Com- 

 mission has the following recapitulation : 



Amount of sales from July 31st to Octo- 

 ber 1, 1869 $53,922 67 



Of commissions. 3,281 36 



$57,204 03 



The Messrs. Shanly, contractors for the com- 

 pletion of the Hoosac Tunnel, commenced work 

 March 31, 1869. On the 23d of December they 

 had made 1,199 feet of progress at the east end, 

 205 down the central shaft, 415 at the west 

 end, and 221 with the brick arch. The work, 

 on the whole, is not up to the contract require- 

 ments ; but at the east end it has averaged 12 

 feet per month in excess, and is rapidly coming 

 up at all points. The contractors are steadily 

 perfecting and increasing their means of opera- 

 tion, having nearly doubled the monthly quan- 

 tity of work, and do not anticipate the full de- 

 velopment of their efficient strength before May 

 or June, 1870. It is predicted by sanguine ob- 

 servers, long familiar with the tunnel, that the 

 Shanlys will be through the mountain a year 

 and a half before the contract time expires, 

 March 1, 1874. The rock encountered at the 

 west end has been of the hardest character, 

 almost of the quality of flint, and that portion 

 of the work has progressed slowly. The ma- 

 chinery has been increased, and now the ad- 

 vance is gaining in rapidity. They have 

 added a good deal of valuable machinery to the 

 working appliances, worth in the aggregate 

 $100,000. During the month of November the 

 number of workmen employed was 847 nearly 

 twice the force ever employed by the State at 

 any one time. The monthly disbursements for 

 wages average over $60,000. 



By the terms of the contract the Shanlys 

 cannot draw any thing from the State Treasury 

 until they have performed work enough to 

 amount to $500,000, at the stipulated price per 

 lineal foot and per cubic yard, which must be 

 approved and certified by the State Engineers. 



By the act of the Legislature, entitled "An 

 Act to enfranchise the Indians of the Com- 

 monwealth," that class of persons, held, since 

 the landing of the Pilgrims, under political and 

 civil disabilities, is endowed with equal civil 

 rights ; and henceforth every inhabitant of the 



