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FITCH, ELEAZAR T. 



FLORIDA. 



FITCH, ELEAZAR THOMPSON, D. D., an 

 American clergyman, theologian, and profess- 

 or, born in New Haven, Conn., January 1, 

 1791 ; died there, January 81, 1871. He early 

 evinced a decided taste for learning, being 

 quiet and thoughtful in manner, and eager and 

 diligent in study. He won distinction in col- 

 lege, both for punctuality and scholarship. 

 His conversion occurred while an undergrad- 

 uate, and it at once determined the character 

 of his life-work. After graduation he was a 

 teacher at East Windsor Hill, and subsequently 

 of the New Haven Hopkins Grammar School. In 

 1812 he entered Andover Theological Seminary, 

 where, after completing the regular course, he 

 remained, pursuing advanced studies, giving 

 assistance in instruction, and preaching, until 

 his election, in 1817, to succeed President 

 Dwight in the office of Professor of Divinity 

 in Yale College. One branch of his work was 

 to teach theology to graduates. In this he 

 found his classes so increase that he was led 

 to urge upon the corporation the founding of 

 a theological department, which was organized 

 in 1822. In this department he filled the 

 chair of homiletics, at the same time being 

 college preacher and pastor, and giving in- 

 struction in the academical department in 

 natural theology and the evidences of Chris- 

 tianity. As preacher, he delivered to succes- 

 sive classes a series of sermons in systematic 

 theology. Some of his doctrinal views thus 

 presented becoming publicly controverted, he 

 was compelled to defend them as publicly; 

 and thus for truth and conscience' sake he 

 was willing to appear in print, a thing which 

 he was never prevailed upon to do on other 

 grounds. In 1852 his growing infirmities (he 

 scarcely ever enjoyed, even from youth, full 

 bodily health) induced him to resign his office 

 as professor; yet he retained his connection 

 with the theological seminary as lecturer until 

 1861, and with the theological faculty as pro- 

 fessor emeritus until his death. At his res- 

 ignation he became a member of the " Circle 

 of retired Clergymen and Laymen," in whose 

 weekly meetings he always took an active 

 part, and thus maintained his interest in all 

 the living issues of the day even to the last. 

 He was never a mere theologian, but pushed 

 his researches into matters of science, litera- 

 ture, and taste, and of public and social order. 

 He possessed a decided genius for music and 

 its kindred fine arts, and in smaller matters 

 displayed great versatility and ready inventive 

 powers. 



FLORIDA. The past year has been one of 

 comparative quiet in Florida. The political dis- 

 putes with which it opened concerning the re- 

 sults of the election of 1870 were soon settled 

 by the confirmation of the right to office of 

 the Republican claimants. The State officers 

 then stood : Governor, Harrison Reed ; Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor, Samuel T. Day ; Secretary 

 of State, Jona. 0. Gibbs (colored) ; Attorney- 

 General, J. B. 0. Drew ; Comptroller, Robert 



H. Gamble ; Treasurer, Simon B. Conover ; 

 Superintendent of Public Instruction, Charles 

 Beecher; Adjutant-General, John Varnum; 

 Commissioner of Lands and Immigration, J. 

 S. Adams. The returns of the election of 

 November, 1870, as published by the Secretary 

 of State, gave the total vote cast for Lieutenant- 

 Governor as 24,278, of which Day received 

 12,446. The vote cast for member of Con- 

 gress was 24,251, of which Josiah T. Walls 

 (colored Republican) received 12,439. The 

 Legislature was composed of 24 Senators, 

 equally divided between the two parties, and 

 47 Representatives, 25 of them Republican 

 and 22 Democratic. To obtain these results, 

 the vote of nine counties was thrown out as 

 illegal. 



The Legislature met at Tallahassee on the 

 3d of January, and completed its work before 

 the end of the same month. The provisions 

 of the registration and election law relating 

 to the canvassing of votes were repealed, and 

 it was provided instead that 



On tlie thirty-fifth day after the holding of any 

 general or special election for any State officer, mem- 

 ber of the Legislature, or Kepresentative in Congress. 

 or sooner if the returns shall have been received 

 from the several counties wherein elections have 

 been held, the Secretary of State, Attorney-Gen- 

 eral, and clerk of the Supreme Court, or any two of 

 them, with any other member of the cabinet whom 

 they may designate, shall meet at the office of the 

 Secretary of State, pursuant to notice to be given by 

 the Secretary of State, and form a board of State 

 canvassers, and proceed to canvass the returns of 

 such election, and determine who shall have been 

 elected to any office or as members of the Legisla- 

 ture, as shown by such returns. The said board 

 shall make and sign a certificate containing, in words 

 written at full length, the whole number of votes 

 given for each office, the number of votes given for 

 each person for each office or for member of the 

 Legislature, and declare who shall have been elected 

 thereto, which certificate shall be recorded in the 

 office or the Secretary of State in a book to be kept 

 for that purpose ; and the Secretary of State shall 

 cause a certified copy of such certificate to be pub- 

 lished in one or more newspapers printed at the seat 

 of government. 



The Secretary of State is also required to 

 prepare lists of the members elected to each 

 branch of the Legislature and deliver them to 

 the officers thereof. 



An act was passed for the establishment 

 and maintenance of a State-prison, to be un- 

 der the control of the Commissioners of Pub- 

 lic Institutions. The prisoners are to be re- 

 quired to work not over ten hours per day for 

 six days in the week, and the Adjutant-Gen- 

 eral may let out their labor on contract "in 

 such manner as he may deem most advanta- 

 geous to the interest of the State, and with 

 due regard for the health and safe custody of 

 the prisoners." Encouragement to good con- 

 duct is to be granted in pursuance of the fol- 

 lowing provision : 



SECTION- 26. The warden shall keep a record of the 

 conduct of each prisoner, and, for each month that a 

 prisoner has not been subject to punishment for bad 

 conduct, he shall deduct three days from the term 

 of his sentence, and place the same upon a record to 



